Global IME Bank, Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology sign MoU to provide free cataract surgery nationwide
KATHMANDU: Global IME Bank and Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to identify cataracts and provide free surgery for economically disadvantaged individuals, senior citizens and other underprivileged groups across the country.
The MoU was signed on Tuesday at the bank’s corporate office in Kamaladi. The agreement was signed by Surendra Raj Regmi, chief executive officer of Global IME Bank, and Dr Reeta Gurung, chief executive officer of Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, in the presence of the bank’s chairman and FNCCI president, Chandra Prasad Dhakal, and Prof Dr Sanduk Ruit, founder and executive director of Tilganga.
Under the understanding, Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, with financial support from Global IME Bank, will identify cataract patients and perform free surgeries at seven locations covering all seven provinces. The partners also agreed to conduct eye check-ups for economically disadvantaged school students and to distribute spectacles free of charge where needed.
Addressing the signing ceremony, Dhakal said the bank has continued the tradition of returning a portion of its profits to society since its inception. “We have tried to deliver these social responsibility programmes equally across all seven provinces because we believe that our greatest responsibility lies with the society where we conduct our business and earn our profit,” he said.
Dhakal added that under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, the bank has been running initiatives in education, health, the environment, humanitarian aid, the sustainable development goals, and rescue and relief during natural disasters through its branch network across all 77 districts.
Prof Dr Sanduk Ruit said collaboration with Nepali banks presents both opportunities and challenges, and expressed his commitment to making the partnership with Global IME Bank sustainable. He emphasised transparency and efficient management in every programme.
On the occasion, the Bank's CEO, Regmi, said the collaboration between Nepal’s largest bank and a prestigious institution like Tilganga has encouraged the bank to expand its social responsibility efforts and that the partnership will be further expanded in the coming days.
The signing ceremony was attended by Deputy CEO Suman Pokharel, senior bank officials and employees of the Tilganga Institute.
Global IME Bank, the first private commercial bank to operate branches in all 77 districts of Nepal, serves customers through more than 1,000 service points, including 352 branch offices, 379 ATMs, 147 branchless banking outlets, 68 extension and revenue collection counters and three foreign representative offices. The bank has received several national and international awards, including Bank of the Year 2014, Best Internet Bank 2016, Best Bank Nepal 2024 and 2025, and Euromoney Award for Excellence in 2022, 2024 and 2025.
The Tilganga Institute’s Nepal Eye Program, registered as a not-for-profit organisation in 1992, provides eye health services nationally and internationally through clinical services, intraocular lens production, research, education, community eye programmes and the Nepal Eye Bank.
