Himalayan Cataract Project E-News: April 2010HCP, its partners, staff, and affiliated doctors continue to meet the mission of training local doctors and providing direct services to cure treatable blindness, in addition to ranking high among other non-profits in fiscal responsibility. Read about the numerous accomplishments in this month’s newsletter.
- HCP earns 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for 5th year in a row
- Outreach efforts in India and Nepal with Drs. Ruit and Tabin
- HCP teams with SightLife to tackle Corneal Blindness in Nepal
- Trinidad Trainees at Tilganga
- HCP International Cornea Fellow in Ghana
- Bhutanese Cornea Fellow trains in Boston
HCP earns 5th consecutive 4-star rating from Charity NavigatorHCP has been awarded its fifth consecutive 4-star rating from Charity Navigator; only five percent of American charities attain this "exceptional" designation in fiscal responsibility for five years or more. A letter from Charity Navigator CEO Ken Berger states:
"As the nonprofit sector continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, savvy donors are demanding more accountability, transparency and quantifiable results from the charities they choose to support with their hard-earned dollars. In this competitive philanthropic marketplace, Charity Navigator, America's premier charity evaluator, highlights the fine work of efficient charities such as your own, and provides donors with essential information needed to give them greater confidence in the charitable choices they make." Three successful outreach eye clinics in India and Nepal | | 
Drs. Ruit and Tabin in India.
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HCP and the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology (TIO) have been organizing Outreach Microsurgical Eye Clinics (OMECs) to extend eye care services in the underserved regions of Nepal and India for more than a decade.
In late February and March, three successful OMECs took place in northern India and eastern Nepal. The first was organized at J. Kripalu Charity Hospital in Managarh-UP, India. The second and third were in remote locations in eastern Nepal requiring three and a half days of trekking.
A total of 4,544 patients were screened and 856 cataract surgeries provided. HCP Co-Directors Drs. Sanduk Ruit and Geoffrey Tabin participated along with a team from TIO led by Dr. Govinda Paudel and a local team from India. HCP teams with SightLife to tackle Corneal Blindness in Nepal | | 
Nepal's corneal surgeons with HCP's Dr. Matt Oliva.
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The first ever Nepal Eye Bank and Corneal Transplantation Congress took place April 15-19, 2010, hosted by HCP, Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, and SightLife, our international partner in eradicating corneal blindness. Eight corneal surgeons and numerous eyebanking staff, representing five different institutions spanning the geographic breadth of Nepal, met to formulate a comprehensive five-year plan to rapidly increase the number of corneas available for transplantation in the Himalayan region.
Following cataract, corneal blindness is the second leading cause of blindness in Nepal and sight is restorable with a corneal transplant procedure. The Nepal Eye Bank was established in 1994 and currently provides 250 corneas per year for transplantation, which does not address the massive need for sight restoring surgery. HCP and SightLife are teaming together to provide the training, management expertise, funding, and surgical training necessary to expand the number of cornea transplants in Nepal to 3,000 corneas per year by 2015.
Read more in the News section of HCP's Web site Two ophthalmologists from Trinidad train at TilgangaDr. Anil Aroogum and Dr. Ronnie Bhola spent last month at the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology (TIO) for a short-term training to strengthen their skills and knowledge in Small Incision Cataract Surgery (SICS) through hands-on training. Both doctors received a certificate of completion by TIO Medical Director and HCP Co-Director Dr. Sanduk Ruit. HCP International Cornea Fellow in Ghana | |
Dr. Mike Feilmeier in the operating theatre with Dr. Seth Lartey and residents at KATH.
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Dr. Mike Feilmeier, the current HCP and University of Utah International Cornea Fellow, is in Kumasi, Ghana at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH). In addition to extensive time with the residents, Dr. Feilmeier has provided ongoing cornea training to Dr. Seth Lartey of Kumasi who has been working with the HCP since 2006 with a special focus on cornea. Together, Drs. Feilmeier and Lartey completed eight corneal transplant surgeries, restoring sight to patients bilaterally blind from corneal disease.
HCP and KATH have been working closely on plans to build a new regional training facility partially funded by USAID. The bids have gone out and completion is expected in June of 2011. Bhutan fellow attends World Cornea Congress and American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery Symposium in Boston | |
From left, Dr. Matt Oliva, Dr. Suman Thapa from Tilganga, Dr. Geoff Tabin, Emily Newick, Dr. Nor Tshering from Bhutan and Dr. Roberto Pineda at Dr. Michael Wiedman’s home in Boston.
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HCP provided support for Dr. Nor Tshering to attend the World Cornea Congress, the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery Symposium and ongoing cornea training in Boston. HCP Medical Advisory Board Member Dr. Michael Wiedman hosted Dr. Tshering at this home in Boston and oversaw his program.
In 2006, Dr. Tshering became Bhutan’s first corneal specialist. He has trained at the John A. Moran Eye Center in Utah and at the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology in the past, with HCP support.
Dr. Tshering recently expressed his thanks in writing:
"I am extremely thankful for the Himalayan Cataract Project to give me this golden opportunity to visit Boston and Utah, USA and learn about corneal pathologies and the updated management which will be useful in the day-to-day care of the patients in my country. I can adapt many of the techniques suitable with our available resources.
I am also indebted to my HoD Dr. Kunzang Getshen, who supported me in this trip. I am also truly thankful to Dr. Geoff Tabin, Dr. Mike Wiedman and his wife Irene, Drs. Michael and Katharine Morley, Dr. Roberto Pineda, Dr. A.J Chan, Dr. B. Singleton and all the staffs in respective hospitals for extending their support to make my visit memorable and worthy of great cause."
Many thanks to all of the ophthalmologists who hosted Dr. Tshering in their Boston-area practices.
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A cataract patient in Nepal. Ace Kvale photo.
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The Himalayan Cataract Project works to eradicate preventable and curable blindness through high quality ophthalmic care, education and the establishment of a world-class eye care infrastructure.
Please visit our Web site at www.cureblindness.org to keep up with the latest HCP news. There you will also find information on HCP’s finances, its founders, staff and board members, and ways that you can give the gift of sight.
Remember, through the Himalayan Cataract Project it takes a gift of only $20 to provide life-changing cataract surgery to someone struggling with blindness in the developing world. |
