Lahan, NEPAL

Early Years

In 1980/81 the World Health Organisation and His Majesty's Government of Nepal conducted a survey on blindness. On the basis of this survey Nepal invited international donor agencies to help establishing eye services throughout Nepal.

Since 1982, in the Sagarmatha Zone in eastern Nepal, these services have been established and consolidated with the support of Christoffel Blindenmission (CBM) in co-operation with the Nepali partners Social Welfare Council and Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh. Lahan, a small town in the densely populated flat and fertile Terai close to the Indian border, was chosen as location for the base hospital.

In February 1983, the German ophthalmologist Dr. Albrecht Hennig came with his family to Lahan and the eye services became operational, starting with only 12 beds in the general R.U. Memorial Hospital. Due to the steadily increasing number of patients, CBM financed the construction of the Sagarmatha Choudhary Eye Hospital (SCEH) in 1985/86. The land was donated by Mr. Chhabi Lal Choudhary, Mr. Sarobar Lal Choudhary and Mr. Rabindra Lal Choudhary.

In 1999, CBM and the German TV station RTL raised the necessary funds for the extension of the hospital facilities, which got completed in 2000. 

The SCEH has grown to a large volume treatment centre with 410 beds, which provides high quality eye services at an affordable cost to a huge population in eastern Nepal and northern India.

In addition to its several satellite centres the new Biratnagar Eye Hospital was started in Biratnagar in September 2007. Biratnagar is the second largest city in Nepal, 125 km east of Lahan. As the rented premises have already become too small, the construction of a new eye hospital will be started in 2008.

Comprehensive Eye Care:

Eye services at Lahan are comprehensive, which includes treatment of patients, prevention of blindness and services to incurable blind persons. During a Self-Reliance and Rehabilitation Project from 1986 to 1997, fieldworkers rehabilitated 413 incurable blind persons in their villages of Siraha and Saptari districts.

Since the completion of this project, SCEH has continued counselling services to incurable blind persons at the hospital.