-Devraj Pant
Nepal is unlocking medical potential of late. Nepal’s eye health service has earned special recognition in the country and abroad. It has built growing trust in the field of eye health care, thereby paving way for establishing the country as an attractive destination for quality and accessible health care.
The Nepal Netrajyoti Sangh (NNJS) is a unique example in the eye health care, which is provided to foreign citizens as well. NNJS is a centre of comprehensive eye care having 28 eye hospitals and 226 eye treatment under its affiliation. It has underlined delivering ‘high-quality, sustainable, comprehensive and affordable eye care services across the country by leveraging local, national and international resources.’
With the vision of ‘Sight for All’, NNJS mobilized its eye hospitals and treatment centres to earn more than Rs. 1.5 billion foreign currency by providing services to foreign patients, including those from India in the fiscal year 2082/83 alone. It is a glaring example how Nepal’s medical excellence in eye health care is picking a pace and opening further potential.
Most of the foreign patients coming for eye treatment at NNJS facilities are from neighbouring countries- India, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Even the people from other countries receive the service from Nepal’s eye hospitals. It is more than the data on hospitals’ income, for it reflects the increasing trust of foreign citizens in Nepal’s health services, the competence of Nepali doctors, agile health workers, and guarantee of quality eye treatment services.
Together, it has been evident that health service bears tremendous possibility to earn foreign currency for Nepal. So far, NNJS has treated a total of 50.2 million eye patients including the Nepali citizens and those from foreign countries, while over 5.6 million people underwent eye surgeries till date since 1978, the time NNJS was set up.
Quality service behind trust
It is natural for anyone to seek medical treatment in other countries considering the convenience. Quality of treatment, trust in doctors, cost, accessibility, duration to receive services, patients’ experience and finances play instrumental roles in taking such decision.
Experienced eye specialists, modern technology and equipment, good surgical results, patient-friendly service, short wait for appointment and affordable treatment costs available in Nepal are salient features of Nepal’s eye hospitals which have made these attractive destinations for treatment.
Since its establishment in 1978, NNJS has been unrelentingly providing humanitarian services. The satisfaction of patients returning from Nepali hospitals and the experiences they share with their related communities count much to bring in new patients to Nepal for eye care service. The service delivery itself has been key to NNJS’ visibility and increasing trust. Years of service, successful treatment result, skilled manpower and patient experience are pillars of building the trust, which has extended beyond border.
Medical tourism: Connecting health and economy
The trend of ‘medical tourism’ is gaining a pace, with increasing number of people traveling from one country to another for treatment. The reasons behind it range from high treatment cost, long wait for appointment with doctors and unavailability of specialist services. Where the quality and affordable treatment are available, the patients throng there.
Nepal is not only in a convenient location in South Asia but also has relatively affordable and quality eye health services that lure the patients from the neighbouring countries. Nepal can leverage further such opportune status to establish eye care service both as contributors to tourism and national economy. The medical tourism is indeed a significant bridge between health and economy. Those coming to Nepal for eye treatment are not only the concerned patients but their family members and relatives who spend times in Nepali hotels, use transportation, buy medicine and visit new places. As Nepal has several historical and religious destinations, such attraction can be linked to the medical tourism to spur economic activities.
Therefore, the foreign patients have not only the economic contribution but also the roles to expand hotel and tourism businesses.
Considering the growing prevalence of digital connection, NNJS has also mobilized the digital platforms and social media to make visibility and reach out to patients in the country and abroad. The social media connection enabled NNJS to reach nearly 912 thousand patients from abroad. It conducted as many as 153,086 eye surgeries of the foreign patients in 2025 alone.
NNJS has earned international reputation and recognition through its eye treatment service aligning with Nepal government’s policies and directives. The non-governmental and non-profit social organization has reached a huge number of people in the country and abroad through its robust network. In addition to catering a humanitarian service, it has been able to promote Nepal’s health sector as significant exportable service to earn foreign money. It has earned over Rs. 1.5 billion in foreign income with the treatment of foreign patients in a fiscal year alone. Once the medical services are given impetus with clear policies, good infrastructure and international promotion, these would undoubtedly ensure excellence and durable income to the country.
Lesson for others to reduce blindness
Since its inception in 1978 with the aim of reducing preventable and treatable blindness in Nepal, NNJS has worked actively to expand access to modern and specialized eye health services across the country, which was quite limited those days. In those days, the eye treatment was limited to only few cities.
Since then, Nepal has made a long journey in the sector of eye health. With gradual expansion of hospitals and eye treatment facilities, community-based eye health programmes, vision screening at schools, cataract surgery, retina and glaucoma services, corneal treatment, pediatric eye health care and various specialist services have expanded across the country.
Those far-flung communities are getting better services. NNJS gave special emphasis in reaching the eye health services to local levels so that more number of backward people could access to the modern eye health service at their convenience. The treatment and referral from nearby places have significantly contributed to reducing blindness in Nepal.
It is worth noting that in 1981, the blindness rate was 0.84 percent, while has been reduced to about 0.28 percent in Nepal now. Currently, Nepal government, in collaboration with NNJS and other partner organizations, has set a target of reducing the blindness to 0.20 by 2030 in line with the National Health Strategy.
This target is not limited only to improvement in health sector indicators because the protection or regaining one’s vision is directly linked to the person’s education, employment, income generation, self-reliance and ultimately the living standard. Once a person regains vision, it creates positive impact in family and community as well. Where there is no more darkness, it creates atmosphere for social and economic progress of the country.
Growing potential of health service export
Nepal’s potential of leading in health service export can be substantiated with the fact that NNJS had organized a two-day free eye treatment camp in Kampong Cham Province of Cambodia in mid July. It was held in coordination with the Nepali Embassy (including Cambodia) where 1,200 Cambodian people received eye checks up and treatment services. It also proves the excellence of Nepali ophthalmologists abroad.
Considering these activities, progress, success and recognition of Nepal’s eye treatment service in the country and abroad, it is time for us to further expand the eye care in a way to establish Nepal’s leadership in health export service in the region and promote health tourism as a vital pillar of national economy. The growth of skilled medical workforce, quality treatment services, successful treatment outcomes, relatively low cost and international trust are salient features to advance this strategy.
[Pant, a Chartered Accountant, is the Chief Finance Officer of NNJS]
