Ophthalmologist Dr Sanduk Ruit wins top civilian award of Bahrain

Kathmandu / Jan 18: A globally recognized Nepali ophthalmologist Dr Sanduk Ruit has won the Isa Award for Service to Humanity, a top civilian award of Bahrain. The award carries a cash prize of USD 1 million, a certificate of merit and a gold medal.

Dr Ruit was announced as a winner amidst a press conference by Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Special Representative of His Majesty the King and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Isa Award for Service to Humanity on Tuesday, according to a Bahrain News Agency report.

Dr Ruit is world-famous for devising a new method for treating cataracts. He was also able to develop a new lens implanted inside the eyeball that could be produced at a much cheaper price than its counterparts. This has helped him in performing cataract surgeries in less than five minutes during which he removes the cataract without stitches through small incisions, and replaces them with a cost-effective artificial lens.

He was able to treat more than 120,000 patients with avoidable blindness for free.

The biennial award will be presented at a ceremony to be held under the patronage of King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa at the Isa Cultural Centre in Manama next month. This is the fifth session of the award.

Addressing the press conference, Shaikh Mohammed stressed that the award embodies a living memory of the late Amir and his noble legacy in service to humanity, and showcases His Majesty the King’s commitment to further instilling humanitarian work and celebrating it across the globe, the News Agency said.

Isa Award for Service to Humanity Secretary General Ali Abdullah Khalifa said 145 candidates from across the world had applied for the award in its fifth session 2021-2022 and 139 applicants were accepted after validating their applications.

The applications were then shortlisted to five, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the award. He outlined that the Board of Trustees dispatched a field team to visit the locations of the five short-listed applicants to evaluate their conformity with the criteria of the award, according to a Tradearabia report.