In many low- and middle-income countries, it is often the people who are poor or with a disability - or both - who find it most challenging to access and pay for health care. When people do come to us for eye care, it is therefore vital that we provide quality services efficiently and effectively.To achieve this goal, we must ensure that our equipment is well maintained and that we have enough spare parts and consumables for it to function with minimum interruptions. To cope with the sometimes inevitable breakdowns, we also need systems that will respond quickly to carry out repairs and replace broken or worn-out parts.