Nepal Eye Hospital aims to conduct 10,000 surgeries annually

KATHMANDU: The Nepal Eye Hospital, the first eye care hospital in the country, aims to perform 10,000 eye surgeries annually.

Founded in 1973, the Hospital performed surgeries on 5,981 patients in the last fiscal year, 2021/22.

These facts and figures were unveiled by the Hospital’s chairperson Dr Gopal Prasad Pokharel at the Hospital’s 17th annual general meeting held here today.

Chairperson Dr Pokharel informed that a total of 132,433 patients availed of treatment in the Hospital in the last fiscal year.

He further shared that the Hospital had been employing the latest technology to diagnose and treat the patients. There are currently 118 human resources, including 14 ophthalmologists who have been rendering services to around 700 patients on a daily basis.

The Hospital runs Eye Care Service Centres at Tokha, Khokana, Mulpani and Thankot within the Kathmandu Valley and in Bara and Gorkha outside the valley, it was informed.

The Hospital is seeking to resolve the issues emanating from the increasing pressure of patients in inadequate spaces of the Hospital and issue in the supply of potable water.

It also conducts surgical camps in various places from time to time which benefits people from disadvantaged communities and remote places.

The Hospital has been annually producing 74 human resources in the ophthalmology sector in collaboration with Balaju School of Engineering, Hospital secretary Meghraj Gajurel said.

It made over Rs 170 million in income through various services in eye care sector in the last fiscal year while over Rs 140 million was spent while providing services.

The eye health facility managed to save over Rs 20 million in the last fiscal year, Hospital’s Treasurer Sabita Bhandari said.