Last week we highlighted our work in India. This week, we’re excited to tell you about the great work our donors made possible in Nepal last year. For more highlights, you can read our newly-released Report to Donors 2016. And be sure to check back here for updates on Ghana, Kenya and Zambia in the coming weeks.
Building on our success in India, we expanded our Hospital-Based Community Eye Health Program (HBCEHP) to neighbouring Nepal in 2016. Our work in Nepal goes back to 1973 when we established Nepal Eye Hospital, the first full-fledged eye hospital in the country.
We also played an instrumental role in establishing and/or strengthening five other eye hospitals in Nepal before withdrawing from the country to focus our blindness prevention programs elsewhere.
After receiving requests for support from our former hospital partners, and after conducting a needs assessment of the hospitals, we made the decision to re-enter Nepal in partnership with Nepal Eye Hospital in Kathmandu and Fateh-Bal Eye Hospital in Nepalgunj. Our model HBCEHP strengthened our partners’ abilities to conduct community outreach programs and provide quality eye care services to more people.
Together in 2016, the hospitals screened over 250,000 patients, dispensed almost 18,000 pairs of new prescription eyeglasses and performed nearly 15,700 sight-saving surgeries. Wow!
With support from the Gerald A. Cooper-Key Foundation, we upgraded the operation theatre complex at Nepal Eye Hospital, as well as the out-patient department at Fateh-Bal Eye Hospital. To further build capacity of the hospitals, we provided training for over 30 eye health personnel. We also established our first Vision Centres in Nepal and implemented two Vision Centre-Based Community Eye Health Projects linked to Fateh-Bal Eye Hospital.
Our Nepalese partners made great progress in 2016, and we look forward to expanding our work with them in the coming years.
Thank you to our donors for making this sight-saving work possible! To ensure our work continues in countries like Nepal, please consider making a gift through our online Gift Guide. Every gift, no matter the size, can make an incredible difference in the lives of others!