गृहपृष्ठ ∕ Breaking ∕ WHO honours Nepal Eye Care network for excellence Breaking WHO honours Nepal Eye Care network for excellence KathmanduPati August 08, 2026 Kathmandu [Nepal], August 8 – The World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Regional Office has selected Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh (NNJS) for the 2026 WHO South-East Asia Regional Public Health Champion Award in recognition of its longstanding contribution to reducing avoidable blindness and expanding equitable eye care services across Nepal. According to the WHO, the award will be presented during the 79th session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia in October. This marks the first time NNJS has received the regional honour in the public health category. Thailand’s Dr Nittaya Phanuphak and India’s Dr K. Suresh Kumar have also been named award recipients. Founded nearly five decades ago NNJS operates 28 eye hospitals and 226 eye care centres through 44 district branches providing services to patients from Nepal and abroad. The organization says it has delivered eye care to more than 50.2 million people and performed over 5.65 million eye surgeries. WHO noted that Nepal’s blindness prevalence fell from 0.84% in 1981 to 0.28% in 2020/21, reflecting sustained progress in eye health. NNJS said it remains focused on expanding free and subsidized treatment particularly for underserved communities. The organization also reported earning more than Rs 1.5 billion in foreign currency from international patients in the last fiscal year highlighting Nepal’s growing potential as a destination for health tourism. Write your comments RELATED NEWS Nepal MP questions ambassador vacancies ahead of PM’s US trip NRB calls for bids to collect deposits Government forms panel to probe Bhotekoshi flood origin Indian Ambassador Srivastava holds farewell meeting with Foreign Minister US pledges continued support for Nepal flood recovery Nepal thanks India for swift flood relief support Top Headlines Monsoon is predictable and Nepal’s disaster response should be too1 Nepal “a Buffer State”: Rethinking foreign policy in relative terms2 Promotion Linked to Future Military Leadership: Major General Magar Could Become Army Chief3 When the State Pulls the Trigger, Who Answers ?4 Before the Ballots: How Oli Lost the Political Narrative5 Nepal’s Political Renaissance: The rise of the RSP, the re-ordering of the old political order and the political path forward6 Balen’s Silence Has Invited Curiosity, Confusion, and Concerns7 Jagdamba Group Chairman Shankar Agrawal Arrested8 TRENDING Army Day : Five facts about Nepal’s ‘blue helmets’ in UN-peacekeeping missions Asheem Man Singh Basnyat: We can evolve as a company to better suit a post-covid world Five hand sanitizers manufacturers using hazardous chemical to face action Green recovery: An urgency International Sign Language Day: three headways of Nepali Sign Language in State-1 Indian Army Chief General Naravane to visit Nepal in November Dhakal elected FNCCI senior Vice-chair Confusion in Nepali Congress: who will become the party’s president?
