The Mongolian National University of Health Sciences (MNUHS) in Ulaanbaatar is one of Mongolia’s premier training institutions for doctors. There are currently no trained glaucoma specialists in the country and so MNUHS has made a request to Sight For All for an In-Country Fellowship in glaucoma at MNUHS. The ‘in country’ training means that the participants will be taught in their own environment and with an appropriate spectrum of patients with relevant local issues. The ripple effects of the program will be far-reaching and sustainable for years to come.
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in Mongolia and patients who develop chronic glaucoma remain largely untreated, with a high risk of progression to severe visual impairment and blindness. Our colleagues at MNUHS have asked Sight For All to train glaucoma specialists for two of their main referral hospitals, First and Third State Central Hospitals in Ulaanbaatar.
The two Mongolian Ophthalmologists from MNUHS selected for the Fellowship are Drs Telmuun.Ts and Bolortungalag. P. Following the Fellowship, the trained doctors will be able to manage their own patients with a high level of expertise, and train their own colleagues, thereby allowing vital sustainability of the project to be achieved.
https://covisus.com/a/The project has been modeled on Sight For All’s successful Reverse Fellowship projects undertaken in Cambodia, Lao and Vietnam in recent years and in particular the Glaucoma Fellowship undertaken in Vietnam over 12 months in 2018-19. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the training program is currently being conducted online, with monthly tutorials held by fully trained glaucoma specialists from Australia and New Zealand.
We look forward to sharing the progress of our Fellows and our sustainable online education programs.