Successful Rural Outreach in Nepal

Himalayan Cataract Project’s flagship partner, the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, oversees 15 satellite clinics throughout Nepal called Community Eye Centers. Community Eye Centers (CECs) serve an important role in low- and middle-income countries as they ensure eye care for the poorest and most unreachable patients. Staffed with full-time ophthalmic assistants, they provide basic primary eye care treatment and screenings for infection, as well as referrals for patients who need more advanced care.

The Ramechhap Community Eye Center, one of the CECs in Tilganga’s network that HCP supports, is located about a five-hour drive from Kathmandu and is an anchor for care in its remote region. Earlier this month, an outreach team with members from Tilganga and Ramechhap CEC traveled to one of these remote areas to the village of Khijidemba performing 67 sight-restoring surgeries.