A Dubai-based non-profit charitable organisation, dedicated to preventing blindness and visual impairment worldwide, is working to improve eye care for residents in remote areas of Nepal.
The Noor Dubai Foundation, in partnership with Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh (NNJS), has launched a tele-ophthalmology programme in Nepal, which will benefit nearly half a million people by providing enhanced access to eye care services over the next three years.
It is estimated that 6.8 million people suffer from vision loss in Nepal with 8.4 ophthalmologists per million of the population available. The project is expected to deliver improved primary eye care to 433,000 patients in 15 eye centres and enable expert consultant reviews for 82,000 individuals through teleophthalmology.
Besides encompassing primary care, expert consultations, and training, the programme will also focus on human resource development and empowering the local community through training 15 allied ophthalmic staff and six ophthalmologists in teleophthalmology.
In addition, the programme aims at improving the health infrastructure by connecting 15 primary and two tertiary eye centres for enhanced services.
With an investment of Dh1,070,252 over a three-year period, overall 11 million people are expected to benefit from this programme.
The programme aims to accelerate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through employing technology driving impact in global health issues, including improving accessibility to good quality eye care, investments in human capital, infrastructure maturity, and reducing inequality.
Dr Manal Taryam, board member and CEO of the Noor Dubai Foundation, said: “We are honoured to partner with NNJS to deliver maximum impact in the targeted areas. Through teleophthalmology, we will lead the transformation of service delivery in eye care, maximising accessibility to those in need and leaving a lasting legacy in global health and wellbeing.”
Prof. Chet Raj Pant, chairperson, NNJS said the tele-ophthalmology service, with the support of Noor Dubai Foundation, will connect citizens in the remote and rural areas of Nepal with specialist eye treatment services in our eye hospitals. “In a geographically challenging country like ours, teleophthalmology offers a more effective way to deliver specialised eye care services directly to patients in their homes,” said Prof Pant.