KATHMANDU, Jan 11: Nepalis living abroad will be able to receive eye treatment services from Nepali ophthalmologists. Nepal Netrajyoti Association has expanded eye treatment services abroad targeting Nepalis living in foreign countries, especially those engaged in foreign employment.
The association has started such services for the first time in Oman, informed the general secretary of the association, Bharat Bahadur Chand.
According to him, the association will soon start eye treatment services in Thailand and Malaysia. General secretary Chand said, “In collaboration with the Nepali Embassy and the Non-Resident Nepali Association, the association has already expanded eye treatment services abroad. Since the association's eye treatment services are cheap and of high quality, there is a demand for them from Nepalis living in various countries. We have started the service from Oman for the first time, and now eye treatment services will be started from Thailand and Malaysia in the near future.”
Affordable eye treatment at SCEH a boon to the poor
According to a study by ophthalmologist Prof. Dr. Dev Narayan Sah, Nepal's eye health care services are among the cheapest and of high quality in the world. For this reason, the number of foreigners seeking eye treatment services in Nepal is also increasing. According to him, 250,000 foreign citizens from third countries alone sought services from Nepal's eye hospitals last year.
On the other hand, the association has also sent its eye specialists abroad based on demand. Last September, doctors working at the Lumbini Ophthalmology Institute and Research Center Ran Ambika Shah Eye Hospital in Bhairahawa, run by the association, provided services at the National Institute of Ophthalmology in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Nepali doctors treated and operated on patients with problems such as torn corneas, deep injuries, torn corneas, and blood clots in children during the protests in Dhaka.
Dr. Shailesh Kumar Mishra, executive director of the association, said, "In recent years, Nepal has been developing as a destination for eye treatment, i.e. 'Eye medical tourism.' In 2023 alone, eight lakh eye patients from various countries, including India and Bangladesh, have received eye treatment through the association's network."
The association, which is the largest mechanism in eye health services in Nepal, currently has 28 eye hospitals, 160 eye treatment centers, and 45 district branches operating across the country. Established in 2035 BS, the association has so far provided treatment services to a total of 43.626 eye patients, including Nepali and non-Nepali citizens. Similarly, it has succeeded in restoring eyesight to 51.33 million people through surgery.
Shyam Kumar Pokharel, vice president of the association, said, 'There is no need to go abroad for eye treatment; now foreigners have started coming to Nepal. Nepal has become competent in eye health services.”
