This project will provide funding for provide basic eye care services in rural and remote areas of Nepal. This will include day to day services and an Outreach Microsurgical Eye Clinic (OMEC) where hundreds of patients will have access to screening and surgical procedures.
The project cost will cover:
a) Contribution to the annual cost of running the Dhading Community Eye Centre (CEC). Costs include provision of medicines, office equipment, salaries (2 ophthalmic assistants and one general assistant), travel and maintenance.
b) Funding of an Outreach Microsurgical Eye Clinic organised by the Dhading CEC (including medical equipment & supplies, salaries, travel, catering, accommodation)
Project objective:
To support Dhading CEC to provide affordable and accessible eye care services to the people of Dhading district.
Funding will also support an Outreach Microsurgical Eye Clinic (OMEC) organised by Dhading CEC, which provides eye health services to some of the most remote communities of Nepal. The OMEC is scheduled to take place in November 2010.
In 2008 alone, Dhading CEC provided services to 6,800 patients. This number continues to rise and in 2009 numbers have continued to increase, as demonstrated through the 2009 OMEC where over 1,441 patients were screened and 204 surgeries performed.
As patient demand continues to grow, support from the Footprints Network will help to enable Dhading CEC to continue to meet community eye care needs.
Project outcome:
The Fred Hollows Foundation will provide accessible and affordable eye care services to hundreds of rural poor in the Dhading District – people who are affected by avoidable blindness conditions but have no access to basic eye care facilities. These people, old and young, will be able to return to work or school once their sight has been restored.
Project location:
Dhading district is one of 75 districts in Nepal and is situated in central Nepal. Dhading Besi, the main town, is located 3.5hrs north-west of Kathmandu. Dhading District is home to over 380,000 people, 90% of whom are farmers.
Background & Project Partners:
The Fred Hollows Foundation has sustained its commitment to Nepal since the Tilganga Institute for Ophthalmology (formerly Tilganga Eye Centre) was opened in 1994. It was the first outpatient cataract surgery centre in Nepal and has expanded its capacity and services ever since.
Over the past 15 years, the partnership between The Fred Hollows Foundation and Tilganga has led to:
- Over 1.5 million people being screened and over 120,000 sight restoring operations being performed in Nepal
- 6 community centres have been established in remote parts of Nepal: Dhading, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Sindhu, Rolpa and Okhaldhunga
- More than 3,800 Intraocular Lenses (IOLs) provided to other eye institutions to promote cataract surgery through outreach services
- At least 7 outreach clinics are run by Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology each year with support from The Fred Hollows Foundation
- The Intraocular Lens factory at Tilganga is now a self-sufficient business and has manufactured over 3 million lenses, exporting to over 50 countries worldwide
- 139 surgeons and 73 paramedical staff have been trained at Tilganga
But our work is far from complete and only a sustained commitment will overcome the challenges we face. In Nepal, it is estimated:
- 460,000 people have low vision
- 210,000 people are blind
- 25,000 people become blind each year
- Approx 150,000 cases of blindness are due to cataract
The Government of Nepal recognises the significance of CECs and has committed to serving each district of Nepal with a CEC by the year 2020.