Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital, Center of Excellence

Overview

This project involved the construction of the largest eye hospital in eastern India, aiming to contribute to the reduction of preventable blindness in the region. It will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology, modern amenities, and a comprehensive range of eye care services. 

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We delivered this project on-time and on-budget despite several challenges. 

The Project Owner

Akhand Jyoti is a non-profit organisation that aims to eliminate curable blindness in the state of Bihar by 2026 by providing affordable, accessible, sustainable, quality curative and preventive eye care services. Their focus is on low-income communities, and 80% of their surgeries are free of cost. In addition, they empower women to lead their blindness eradication efforts. The hospital is a unit of Yugrishi Shriram Sharma Acharya Charitable Trust. 

The Challenges

Being an ambitious project, there were several challenges for us!

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Unprecedented scale: Establishing the largest eye hospital in eastern India was an unprecedented endeavor, and perhaps the most monumental project undertaken by a non-profit in the area. 

A tight timeline: The project needed to be completed in a 13-month timeframe.

Limited budget: While non-profits always work with limited funds, the scale of this project made things even more challenging. 

Location: The location, Parsa, posed the biggest challenge. Being a rural area, there were limited transportation networks, power supply, construction materials, regulatory approvals and permits, and most importantly - skilled labour that a project of this scale would need.

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In short, the client needed a construction company that could build one of the biggest medical facilities in the region, while faced with limited budgets, a tough deadline, and a challenging location. All while supply chains were still recovering from the pandemic.

How we Approached It

Even though there were challenges, we knew good planning would lead to a positive outcome. Here’s a snapshot of what we did.

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Close collaboration with our client to understand their vision and specific requirements.

Developing tailored solutions to address infrastructural, budgetary and timeline challenges. For example, we designed specialised concrete, and on-boarded IIT Patna's Civil Engineering Department HOD as an expert.

Risk considerations that would meet seismic standards and regulations. Earthquake resistance was given special attention - using steel from Tata and F2R cement from ACC.

Efficient project management that included experienced architects, a site in-charge, and trusted subcontractors. Regular site visits ensured smooth coordination and progress monitoring.

Open communication with both the client and architect, which allowed us to identify and rectify any design flaws, quickly alter plans, and propose effective solutions. We also organised site visits for donors, personally explaining the project's advancements and addressing any questions or concerns.

Enhanced security through installation of CCTV cameras ensured security and monitoring.

Rigorous quality control to deliver a long-lasting, high-quality facility. For example, we sourced tiles from Gujarat and coarse aggregates from Jharkhand.

Pre-planning to stay within the project budget by carefully selecting suppliers. In fact, negotiating advance deals helped mitigate the risk of price fluctuations.

Our Achievements

This was a landmark project for us, and the achievements fall in four categories.

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Flexibility and design adaptation:

We accommodated major design changes mid-way, including increased scope, changes in the location of facilities like toilets and waiting rooms, and modifications to the external design. We successfully incorporated the revised architectural vision and ensured seamless integration within the project.

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Patient-centric design and user experience:

Knowing our audience would be individuals from eye issues from mostly rural backgrounds, we customised the patient experience throughout the hospital. From materials selection, to contrasting colours, from signage to hygiene - we wanted to make sure this was a welcoming, caring environment for visitors.

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Client satisfaction and future projects:

We achieved client satisfaction and demonstrated our ability to deliver the intended outcomes. In fact, while the project was ongoing, we were awarded another hospital project by the same client - indicating confidence in our approach and quality.

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And of course, on-time, on-budget project completion:

We did this despite the mid-way redesign and all the above challenges, demonstrating effective project management and execution, and expense management.

The Final Word

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This project acts as a great demonstration of our ability and non-profit focus. This could not have been completed without our mission of having an impact on communities, and our team was energised in some very challenging situations. We are very proud of having played a part in building the largest eye care facility in Eastern India and are sure it will play a part in eradicating blindness in the area, while acting as a model for other regions.