Tilganga Community Eye Hospital Opens in Nijgadh
Nijgadh: Prembahadur Tamang of Bara Nijgadh is thrilled as the ‘Nijgadh Tilganga Community Eye Hospital’ is now operational in his own backyard. Having traveled to the more developed cities of the country and even to neighboring India for eye treatments, he is overjoyed to have access to such facilities right in his own locality.
The end of the need to travel long distances for eye treatment has brought him great happiness, and the hospital added even more joy by offering him a free cataract surgery. During the inauguration of the hospital, located in Ward 9 of Nijgadh Municipality, Prembahadur expressed that the doctors from Tilganga Hospital are like gods to him.
Santamaya Shrestha, who came from Chitwan to undergo cataract surgery in Nijgadh, shares the same happiness. After hearing about the hospital opening from her daughter, who resides in Nijgadh, she came for the surgery and looks very pleased after the treatment.
To mark the beginning of services, the hospital conducted free cataract surgeries for 554 people from October 24 to 27. In addition to the surgeries, the hospital also provided food, accommodation, and transportation for the patients, which made the local people extremely happy.
The hospital was built with the coordination of Nepal Eye Program, Tilganga Eye Institute, and the support of the Fred Hollows Foundation of Australia. The construction cost of the hospital was approximately 2.2 million Australian dollars. The hospital was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Madhesh Province, Satish Kumar Singh.
At the inauguration ceremony, prominent figures including Dr. Sanduk Ruit, the Executive Director of Tilganga Eye Institute, Michael Johnson, the Acting Chairperson of the Fred Hollows Foundation, Ian Wishart, CEO of the Foundation, artist Harivansh Acharya, Members of Parliament Achyut Mainali, and Mina Lama, the Mayor of Nijgadh Municipality Surath Puri, the Executive Chairperson of Nepal Eye Program, Suhrid Ghimire, Dr. Rita Gurung, the Executive Director of Nepal Eye Program, security officials, and various other representatives were present.
During the inauguration, Chief Minister Singh expressed his happiness about the commencement of high-level eye care services. Dr. Ruit, who played a leading role in the hospital’s construction, explained that the hospital was built with a focus on marginalized communities. He also stated that they are ready to provide services to economically disadvantaged patients, reaching out to them where they are. The donors and the representatives of the organizations that supported the hospital construction expressed their happiness at having contributed to the project.
Furthermore, Nijgadh Municipality’s representatives played a crucial role in the construction of the hospital. Both the current and former representatives of Nijgadh Municipality provided 11 kaththas and 10 dhurs of land for the hospital, making the project possible.
The Mayor of Nijgadh Municipality, Surath Puri, expressed gratitude to all those who contributed to the hospital’s construction. Similarly, former Mayor Suresh Kumar Khanal also expressed his happiness. Former Mayor Khanal and former Deputy Mayor Liladevi Lamichhane had laid the foundation stone for the hospital in February 2022 (Falgun 2078).
