Bhutan

The Royal Government of Bhutan is integrating eye care services into an overall primary health care plan that reaches each citizen throughout the country. Its particular focus is on expanding two areas of eye care: cataract surgical output and the development of sub-specialty eye units. HCP has been a vital partner since 2000 helping the Bhutanese accomplish these goals.

With a population of 700,000 people, Bhutan seeks to increase the number of cataract surgeries it performs annually, adding 400 each year so that it can reach a target of 3,000 by 2010. Its larger, long-term goal is to ensure that eye doctors and specialists are trained.

In 2006, Dr. Nor Tshering became Bhutan’s first corneal specialist. The same year, Dr. Dechen Wangmo became the first pediatric ophthalmologist. Their training took part in several training hospitals including the John A. Moran Eye Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Tilganga Eye Centre.

Within Bhutan, eye care training is taking place at a variety of different levels:

• Ophthalmic assistants — for every health post in Bhutan.
• Primary school teachers — to screen for eye diseases and give vitamin A to their students.
• Heath workers — to understand basic health disease at each of the district hospitals.

Dr. Tabin spent time with HCP Fellow Dr. Nor Tshering in September 2009, providing training in corneal diagnostic and surgery technique. Dr. Ruit and a team from Tilganga participated in an outreach cataract workshop in October 2009, providing over 200 surgeries. HCP continues to provide training opportunities and ongoing support for outreach care.