Project Morning Star - National Model of Comprehensive Rural Eye Care Network Building Project
晨星计划 - 国家级基层综合眼病防治网络建设模式探索
Jebsen Group
INTRODUCTION
Jebsen has cooperated with internationally-recognised NGO, Orbis, since 2011 through a five-year partnership “Project Morning Star”, and Jebsen donated RMB 5.2 million to fight against preventable blindness by supporting the training of medical professionals, subsidised surgeries, eye screening, donation of equipment at Orbis project sites as well as supporting to the new Flying Eye Hospital. The programme exceeded its original goals with over 1.2 ophthalmic patients in rural China benefited during the programme period of 2011 - 2015. Jebsen has now continued its partnership with Orbis for the second five-year extension (2016-2020) of Project Morning Star. Responding to Chinese government’s call to accelerate health development in China, Jebsen has invested RMB 7.4 million in funding China’s first “National Model of Comprehensive Rural Eye Care Network Building Project”, initiated by the National Institute of Hospital Administration (NIHA). The model can potentially be duplicated nationwide, and more than one million people are expected to benefit from the programme by 2020.
FRAMEWORK AND STRATEGY
Facing the challenges, Project Morning Star Phase II will focus on the grassroots level to pilot-test an operational model that centres on the technical capability of county hospital, who effectively connects county, township and village level providers so that the three tier providers can function collaboratively and sustainably. This programme has selected six typical, county-level hospitals with different levels of economic development in Eastern, Central and Western China as pilot sites, to improve their ophthalmic capabilities by establishing a new, sustainable model for developing eye care networks in rural areas. Jebsen understands that sustainable development is not purely a social welfare concept, but a fundamental requirement of long-lasting family business, and Jebsen has been seeking the optimal progress of both social value and commercial value in its 125-year of development. Jebsen also dedicates to bring its family concept into the practice of corporate social responsibility and convey its family value to all employees systematically.ACHIEVEMENT AND IMPACT
According to the action plan, 20,000 cataract patients will be operated on, among which 600 impoverished patients will receive surgical assistance; 120,000 pairs of glasses will be delivered to patients in need; 600,000 local residents will receive free eye screening; 1,000,000 local residents will receive eye care education. By 2020, it is expected that ophthalmology treatment at county-level hospitals will be comprehensively improved, patient volume and operation rates will double, and a sustainable, profitable model will be established.The “Vision Centre” will alleviate the current shortage of eye care resources in rural area, providing basic ophthalmic services for residents, such as screening and education, and taking responsibility for patient referrals. Patients can go to county-level hospitals for deeper ophthalmic services, leading to a sustainable eye care network system. As many as 3.5 million people, covered by six county-level hospitals, will be able to receive early detection and treatment in time to avoid preventable blindness.
FUTURE DIRECTION
County hospitals participated in the programme are expected to double its patient and surgical volume by the end of the programme so as to achieve cost-recovery. The Vision Centre at township hospital established by the programme would fill the blank of township level eye care service provision. The screening and public education activity would help identify patients and the referral mechanism would further increase the patient volume of county hospitals. The county-townshipvillage three tier providers once connected by the programme would continue function at the base and primary level of blindness prevention.During and after the completion of the programme, Orbis works jointly with NIHA, and will publicise the programme experience and its analysis through professional network and academic journals. Orbis-NIHA will also organise workshops and training events to promote the model among county hospitals in the country so that the programme success can be replicated else-where.
Jebsen Group is a Hong Kong-headquartered company supporting their partners’ value chain from brand building, marketing, investment, import, logistics to sales and distribution to a wide network of wholesalers, retailers and consumers throughout the Greater China region across 6 key business lines -- Beverage, Consumer, Industrial, Motors, Logistics and Jebsen Capital.
