Kathmandu, January 11: Nepalese living abroad will now be able to receive eye treatment services from Nepali ophthalmologists. Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh has expanded its eye treatment services abroad targeting Nepalese living abroad, especially Nepalis engaged in foreign employment, which has benefited.
The association has already started such a service 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, “The association has already expanded eye treatment services abroad in collaboration with the Nepali Embassy and the Non-Resident Nepali Association. Since the association’s eye treatment services are cheap and of high quality, there is a demand for it from Nepalis living in various countries. We have started the service for the first time in Oman, now in the near future eye treatment services will also be started in Thailand and Malaysia.”
According to a study by ophthalmologist Prof. Dr. Dev Narayan Shah, Nepal’s eye health care services are among the cheapest and highest quality in the world. This is why the number of foreigners seeking eye care services in Nepal is also increasing. According to him, 250,000 foreign nationals from third countries alone received services from Nepal’s eye hospitals last year.
On the other hand, the association has also sent its ophthalmologists abroad to provide services based on demand. Last September, a doctor working at the Lumbini Ophthalmology Institute and Research Center, Ran Ambika Shah Eye Hospital, Bhairahawa, run by the association, provided services at the National Institute of Ophthalmology in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Nepali doctors had treated and operated on patients with problems such as torn corneas, deep injuries, torn corneas, blood clots in corneas, etc., during the protests in Dhaka.
Dr. Shailesh Kumar Mishra, Executive Director of the Association, said, “In recent years, Nepal has been developing as a tourist 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 citizens and non-Nigerians. Similarly, it has succeeded in restoring the eyesight of 51.33 million people through surgery.
Shyam Kumar Pokharel, vice-chairman 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.”
