Delhi-based hospital conducts fellowship programme for Afghan doctors

Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital is providing fellowship programmes in ophthalmology and sub-specialty to Afghan doctors.

The hospital has been helping students from all over the world, but more specifically for the developing nations, and more specifically to Afghan students, by giving them fellowships in different specialties including Ophthalmology.

The hospital provides training to handle the more complex diseases like vitro-retinal diseases like Ocular plastic surgery, glaucoma and other sub-specialties of Ophthalmology.

The hospital is offering these fellowships programmes for a period of one to two years.

This is the most important step towards establishing closer relationship by providing expertise to the Ophthalmologist from Afghanistan which adds to their creditability in dealing complex issues in sub-specialties which are not being handled there.

"In Afghanistan there is no retinal specialist for this reason I have come here. I have got lot of useful training here. In surgery and in medical retina field," Said Dr. Abdul Nawazeh Bassir (Afghan student)

In a move to implement "soft power" to rebuild Afghanistan, India is committed in providing specialized training in various fields. It has developed strong ties between the two nations.

"This is the most important step towards establishing closer relationship by providing expertise to the Ophthalmologist from that country to be able to deal in those sub-specialties which were not being handled there", said Dr. A. K. Grover Grover (Chairman of the department of Ophthalmology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. Chairman of Vision Eye center New Delhi)

A good will that contributes to the development of closer relationship between two people and two nations.

"They are also able to improve their teaching standards in their institutions because they are able to train the post graduates in the final nuance of Ophthalmology once they are familiar with the sub-specialty. So this is a dual advantage and it has a multiplier effect. So once this multiplier effect is going to the various students that they have reaches there. This creates lot of good will and contributes to the development of closer relationship at heart to heart level the mutual relationship that develops between two people", said Dr. A. K. Grover Grover (Chairman of the department of Ophthalmology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. Chairman of Vision Eye center New Delhi)

This is going to have a major long term benefit not just for providing better Ophthalmic services in Afghanistan but also establishes closer ties between the two countries.

The International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) which is the world body of Ophthalmologist has paid a special attention to this area. They carried out survey in this region which was named as 'Cat size away' which looked at the deficiencies of human resources in Ophthalmology in SAARC countries. Once the data was seen it is realized that there is a need for development of sub-specialties in this region to improve the quality of patient care and therefore, with the special emphasis on the countries where services are poor which means Afghanistan and Nepal particularly.

The ICO programme offers 12 fellowships for SAARC region where they get trained within the region for 6 to 9 months and 3-6 months in an international center, U.S, U.K or Australia in a sub-specialty like glaucoma surgery, trauma surgery, Ocular plastic surgery Vitro-retinal diseases and they come back fully equipped to be able to tackle the patients with more complex diseases involving eye care in their own country in their own set-up which is going to be a major-major advantage.

The International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) has come up with this funding for 12 fellowships which is also helping the region more specifically the less developed countries in the SAARC region.

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