Omraj Jha
Grade: IX 'A'
Dr. Sanduk Ruit was born on 4th September, 1854 in Olangchung Gola, that lies in Taplejung district of Nepal. He was the 2nd son out of his parents' six children. His father was Sonam Ruit and his mother was Kesang Ruit. Ruit was born in one of the most remote areas of Nepal. Due to the lack of health facilities, he lost three of his siblings to simple diseases that could be cured with modern medicine. The death of his younger sister, Yangla had the most impact on him. After this, he was determined to become a doctor for the poor.
The nearest school from Ruit's village was across the border in Darjeeling, India. He began his education at the age of 7 in St. Robert's High School. He later shifted to a school in Kathmandu and completed his school level education. He later completed his MBBS from King George's Medical College, Lucknow, India. His father ran a small business to provide for his education. Ruit mostly studied under scholarships. After completing his MBBS and working in Tripureshwor Eye Hospital for 3 years, he wanted to specialize in Ophthalmology and completed his MD from AIIMS, New Delhi, India. As he continued to work in Tripureshwar Eye Hospital, he met an Australian Ophthalmologist who offered him the chance to study more about cataract surgery. Ruit accepted the offer and they went on to develop Small Incision Cataract Surgery (SICS) with the use of intraocular lenses. This method was very affordable and cheap compared to the western method. With the help of this, Dr. Sanduk Ruit went on to treat more than 180,000 people in several countries across Asia and Africa. Most of them were from remote areas with no health facilities. He set-up makeshift surgery rooms and performed the surgeries, He gave people the ability to see again after several years. For this, he is known as the god of sight. He also set up Tilganga Research Center in Kathmandu.
For his selfless service, he won awards such as Padmashree, Asian of the Year Award and many other awards. He made his country Nepal, known all over the world through his dedication and efforts. He is an inspiration, not only for health professionals and social workers, but for everyone. In 2020, he also received Janasewashree Award from the Government. He continues to serve the people as the eye surgeon. Likewise he is also dedicated in various social welfare programmes.