Report WAEH Community of Practice – Human Resources | 24 September 2026
On Thursday 24 September 2026, the WAEH held its Community of Practice on Human Resources. For this session, the CoP has been led led by, Jos Hubers, former HR Manager at the Rotterdam Eye Hospital (Rotterdam, The Netherlands), who took over from our current CoP lead, Sue Steen, Chief People Officer at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (London, United Kingdom). G. Krishnaveni (Veni), Administrator at the Lions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology (Madurai, India), shared Aravind’s experiences with their Well-Being Program. The session was moderated by Maaike van Zuilen, Global Lead of WAEH, and brought together eye hospital professionals from ten countries: the United Kingdom, Sweden, Singapore, Rwanda, India, The Netherlands, Chile, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, USA.
During the Community of Practice, Veni and the Aravind Eye Care System team presented their approach to employee well-being, covering health, family support, mental well-being, recognition, recreation and professional development. Aravind aims to integrate employee welfare into its operational systems, while recognizing the potential stress and burnout associated with a demanding healthcare environment.
The presentation highlighted practical initiatives including annual health checks, childcare, family programmes, employee retreats, counselling and the “My Life My Pride” programme, which combines personal counselling, life skills, values education and extracurricular activities. Aravind also uses cultural activities and employee recognition to strengthen connection and appreciation across the organization.
The discussion focused on supporting younger employees, expanding mental health support beyond AOPs, and balancing employee health, confidentiality and employer responsibility. Aravind is also working to standardize well-being initiatives across its centres through clearer policies, employee surveys, monitoring, measurement and follow-up.
Read the full report and watch the full recording on the Knowledge Hub website (for members only).
The Community of Practice – Human Resources will come together again during the 20th Annual Meeting in Brazil: Friday November 13 and then in 2027 on Thursday April 29 at 01.00 PM CEST.
Read more about the Communities of Practice here.
Note: the WAEH Community is for members only. Not registered yet? Please register yourself here for the WAEH Community using your hospital email address. Need help? Send an email to .