MANAMA (BAHRAIN), Feb 21: Dr. Sanduk Ruit, a Nepali ophthalmologist with a global reputation, is being awarded with the prestigious Isa Award for Services to Humanity amidst a royal ceremony at Isa Cultural Center at Al-Fateh Compound here in Manama later today.
Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa felicitating Dr Ruit with the Award that carries a purse of $1 million. Dr Ruit, who is the fifth recipient of this biennial award, is already in Manama-- the capital city of Bahrain-- to receive the award.
Dr Ruit is scheduled to address a special press briefing after receiving the award today.
Dr Sanduk Ruit felicitated with Isa Award
Addressing a group of foreign journalists in Manama earlier on Monday, Minister for Information Dr Ramzan bin Abdulla AI Nuaimi said the Trustees of the Award considered over 100 people all over the word with expertise and service in various sectors including education, health, community service, poverty alleviation and other humanitarian services for the 2021-22 award. The committee had short-listed five of them for further consideration.
Dr. Ruit is being awarded with this prestigious award for developing an innovative approach to treating cataracts and developing a new implantable lens that could be produced at a much lower price than its counterparts, allowing him to complete cataract surgery in significantly less time.
The organizer said Dr Ruit and his team has performed more than 50,000 eye surgeries in Asia, Africa and his home country in the past 30 years. His Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, a non-profit and independent organization, operates two hospitals, 16 field centers, and mobile clinics that have assisted thousands of patients in various countries including Bhutan, Thailand, Pakistan, Ethiopia, China, India and North Korea.
The $1 million award will be utilized by Ruit’s foundation, which manufactures more than 350,000 lenses annually in a local factory, distributes them at a nominal cost. He is credited to have saved eyesights of more than 120,000 people already.
Bahrain's Minister for Information Dr Ramzan bin Abdulla AI Nuaimi said the Isa Award is being presented every two years to individuals or organizations chosen by an expert panel since it was established in February 2009 by the king of Bahrain. The award is established to recognize self-less contribution to humanity by individuals or any organizations.
Nominations for this award are based on the work of a candidate in any field, globally, related to humanitarian assistance. However, such candidates must not be affiliated to any governmental or political entity and must provide services that help the widest possible community.
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