Nepali Eye Care Professionals Bring Gift of Sight to Bangladesh

A five-day free eye camp organized by Biratnagar Eye Hospital, under the Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh (NNJS), commenced on 2 August 2026 in Thakurgaon, Bangladesh.

Within the first two days, the camp provided comprehensive eye examinations to 1,365 patients and successfully performed 136 cataract surgeries. The humanitarian initiative aims to benefit approximately 3,000 Bangladeshi citizens during the five-day programme.

The eye camp, jointly organized by NNJS and Thakurgaon Diabetic Samity, was inaugurated by Mr Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Adviser (Minister-level) for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives of Bangladesh. Pratik Karki, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Nepal in Dhaka, attended the inaugural ceremony as the Guest of Honour, according to the NNJS.

Addressing the opening ceremony, NNJS President Prof. Dr. Chetaraj Pant emphasized the need to simplify visa procedures and introduce a direct air service between Biratnagar and Saidpur to improve Bangladeshi citizens’ access to Nepal’s internationally recognized eye care services.

He stated that such initiatives would not only promote health tourism but also further strengthen health sector cooperation between Nepal and Bangladesh.

Speaking on the occasion, Karki highlighted that the high-quality and affordable eye care services offered by Nepali eye hospitals are helping establish Nepal as a trusted destination for medical tourism.

He noted that humanitarian initiatives such as this Eye Camp further reinforce the longstanding people-to-people relationship and health diplomacy between the two countries.

The eye camp is providing free comprehensive eye examinations, diagnosis, medicines, and cataract surgeries to patients from Thakurgaon and surrounding districts.

According to the organizers, since its inception in 2023, the initiative has provided free eye care services to thousands of economically disadvantaged people from various districts of Bangladesh.

Mr. Kumar Prithu, Manager of Biratnagar Eye Hospital, said that healthcare collaboration is further strengthening the longstanding relationship between Nepal and Bangladesh. Mr. Padma Narayan Choudhary, Chairperson of the Hospital Management Committee, stated that cooperation between institutions in the two countries has become increasingly effective in the shared mission of reducing avoidable blindness.

The Eye Camp is being conducted in collaboration with Viva Care Limited and Thakurgaon Diabetic Samity. A 13-member Nepali medical delegation is delivering services during the programme.

The team comprises senior ophthalmologists and experienced eye health professionals from Biratnagar Eye Hospital, including Dr. Pragya Luitel, Dr. Gangasagar Sah, Dipendra Chaudhary, Vidyananda Chaudhary, and Md. Rafiq, among other doctors and eye health personnel.

For more than four decades, Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh has been expanding access to quality and affordable eye care services across Nepal through its network of 28 eye hospitals and 226 eye treatment centres.

Beyond Nepal, the organization has extended technical assistance, capacity building, training for ophthalmologists and eye health professionals, free eye camps, and specialist eye care services in countries including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Ethiopia. Eye hospitals under NNJS have also previously organized free eye camps in Bangladesh, benefiting thousands of people.

According to NNJS, the number of Bangladeshi patients travelling to Nepal for quality and affordable eye treatment has been steadily increasing in recent years.

The ongoing Eye Camp in Thakurgaon is expected to further strengthen confidence in Nepal’s eye care services, encourage more Bangladeshi patients to seek treatment in Nepal, and make a significant contribution to the promotion of eye health tourism, the NNJS stated.

NNJS further stated that the growing cooperation between Nepal and Bangladesh in the health sector has expanded access to cross-border healthcare services while making a positive contribution to the promotion of Nepal’s specialized eye care services and medical tourism.