Our Work Continues - Update on Nepal from HCP Co-Founder Dr. Sanduk Ruit

We want to share the good news we’ve been receiving from our in-country partners who have been coping with the impacts of the pandemic on their lives and work. Thanks to your concern and support, our partners are innovating in spite of obstacles, and implementing safe solutions to providing care for those in need.

News from Nepal: Last week we received an update on Nepal from our Co-Founder, Dr. Sanduk Ruit. Dr. Ruit leads the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology in Kathmandu, our premier cataract treatment and ophthalmic training center, and the base of operations to bring surgical care to Nepal’s most remote villages. Pre-pandemic, Tilganga treated an average of 2,500 patients a week, and restored sight to thousands of Nepalis every year.

After months of uncertainty and suspension of care, Dr. Ruit and his staff at Tilganga have now resumed patient screenings and sight-restoring cataract surgeries. Dr. Ruit shared that his team has “seen around 400 patients a day and completed 20 surgeries a day. So far all staff members are safe.”

Since the pandemic began, HCP’s Program staff has worked with our partners in Nepal, Ethiopia, Ghana, Bhutan, Rwanda, and other countries to put new standard operating procedures into place so they may safely resume care for the thousands waiting for basic screenings and sight-restoring surgeries. New operating procedures include serving smaller cadres of patients than our usual large-scale outreach events, putting social distancing into place, and ensuring safety with PPE, including masks, gloves, and body shields for patients and doctors. These changes are essential to the continuation of our work, and Nepal is an example of our commitment to our partners to support and sustain them as they navigate a new global healthcare landscape.

Thanks to Dr. Ruit’s dedication and your compassion for the people of Nepal, Tilganga has been able to lead by example, demonstrating to our partners in other countries how eye care in underserved regions may continue safely.

Dr. Ruit would like us to extend his gratitude to you and all of the HCP community for helping him persevere in spite of many challenges. He extends the following message to you: “Let me wish all your families and loved ones to stay safe. Best and love, Sanduk Ruit.”

Thanks to you, our partners remain hopeful and resilient as they slowly resume eye care services for their local communities. We will continue to keep you informed on their ongoing efforts to provide care for so many in need.