Message from the Chairman
Dr. Ram Prasad Pokhrel,
DLO,DO, FRCS, FICS
Nearly 3 decades ago, the eye care service in Nepal was in rudimentary stage with 16 beds at Bir Hospital & 4 beds designated for eye & ENT at 3 peripheral centers: Biratnagar, Birgunj & Pokhara. Most of the eye beds in Kathmandu were occupied by panopthalmitis cases and there used to be long waiting lists for surgery with one operation per week. Most blind people were deprived of surgery due to long waiting period. Only few well - to - do people who could afford to go to eye hospital in India, like at Sitapur, could have their sight restored and returned back with thick aphakic glasses.
After realizing this huge burden of curable blindness, Nepal Eye Hospital was initiated and established in 1974; and in 1981, Nepal conducted the National Blindness Survey with the support of the then HMG/WHO-National Blindness Program. This survey gave the true picture of blindness in Nepal, and thereafter, the master plan was developed for eye care services in Nepal in 1982.
The main objective of the plan was to clear the backlog of the curable blindness due to cataract, and eliminate trachoma which was endemic in the Mid-western and Far-western Terai regions. To achieve this objective, it was necessary to develop infrastructure of eye hospitals in various zones and primary eye care centers in different districts, and to integrate primary eye care into basic health care. This needed various category of human resource development and proper management of this newly planned infrastructure. NNJS, the then newly formed national NGO took the initiative of management in close coordination of Ministry of Health, and this is how Nepal eye care program started in 1981.
The community participation and the support of various INGOs made it possible to develop one of the best eye care services in Nepal inspite of difficult terrain and political instability. Now with 30 years, the eye care program run by the NNJS is considered as one of the successful health program in Nepal.
I like to thank all the supporting individuals, NGOs, INGOs, WHO, Ministry of Health for their constant support to bring the NNJS to present status. I am also thankful to our volunteer members associated with NNJS district branches for their dedicated work, and to entire staff of NNJS central office, eye hospitals, and eye care centers for rendering their valuable service. The community support at initials stage of eye care service development has been well appreciated. Although we had many ups and downs and have much more challenges, but I am confident that we can overcome these hurdles by our own efforts.
Presently, we are dealing with the on-going challenges such as huge magnitude of cataract blindness, lack of awareness and inappropriate health seeking behavior of the community. To deal with these challenges, it is necessary to further establish and strengthen the eye care services along with super-specialty services like vitreo-retina, cornea, pediatric eye care, glaucoma, oculoplasty, refractive error and low vision services, etc. To support these establishments, training of various categories of human resource will remain as our priority. We are committed to give the high quality eye care at affordable cost at all levels supported by evidence based research activities in eye health.
Lastly, we are thankful to Seva Foundation-USA, Seva Canada Society-Canada, AOCA, 24 Hrs T.V., JICA of Japan, CBM-Germany, Govt. of India, Eye Care Foundation, The Netherlands, NABP, NCA, and INFIL Foundation of Norway, Swiss Red Cross, and Lions Club International Foundation for their remarkable support and input to NNJS in developing & promoting eye care service in this country.
Let no Nepali remain without availing the appropriate eye care service in any corner of this country.
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- December 6 2011
Two separate Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) were signed on December 5, 2011 by the Embassy of India, Kathmandu with Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh (NNJS) for providing grant assistance of NRs. 4.42 crores to NNJS for eye care programme in various districts of Nepal during the year 2011-2012. The MOU will cover the cost of conducting over 15,000 cataract surgeries and also provide over 9,300 optical devices to vision impaired children through mobile screening camps to be held in various schools of Nepal as a ‘National Eye Sight Programme’. India will provide additional assistance of NRs. 0.18 crores for conducting 1000 Trachoma surgeries to the NNJS during the year 2011-2012.
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