Nepal’s eye care services emerge as key foreign currency earner and health tourism hub

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s eye health sector is rapidly establishing the country as an accessible, high-quality destination for medical tourism, driven by international trust in its healthcare network.

According to Chief Financial Officer Devraj Pant, eye hospitals and treatment centers under the Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh (NNJS) network generated over Rs 1.5 billion in foreign currency during the fiscal year 2025/26 from treating foreign nationals. The NNJS network currently operates 28 eye hospitals and 226 treatment centers nationwide.

NNJS Executive Director Dr. Sailesh Kumar Mishra highlighted that the network has treated over 50.2 million patients—including local and foreign citizens—and performed more than 5.65 million eye surgeries to date. Patients primarily arrive from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and other nations, drawn by experienced specialists, modern equipment, high surgical success rates, shorter waiting periods, and affordable care.

Beyond direct clinical revenues, international patients boost local economic activities in hospitality, transportation, food, pharmaceuticals, and broader tourism. Pointing to progress since NNJS was established in 1978, General Secretary Bharat Bahadur Chand noted that Nepal’s blindness rate dropped from 0.84% in 1981 to approximately 0.28%, with a target of 0.20% by 2030. Stakeholders are now urging the government to formulate clear health tourism policies and expand international promotion to further capitalize on this sector.