"To Set Up an Eye Bank in Ho Chi Minh"-Pham Nguyen's Dream

“Dr Pham Nguyen Huan decided to come all the way from Vietnam to India in the hope of establishing an eye bank back home in Ho Chi Minh, after acquiring a better understanding of corneal diseases and their management from L V Prasad Eye Institute. A friend of his, who had also done her fellowship from the Institute, cautioned him that the training would be tough but never mentioned "what exactly the difficulty would be." As he settled in Pham realized that training at the Institute was quite rigorous and the 24X7 work schedule was very different from his country, where a five-day week is the norm. But he does not regret it, because it's a choice he made to acquire the skills of keratoplasty, which is yet to be developed in Vietnam.

Admiring the state-of-the-art equipment available and the surgical skills being imparted at the Institute, Pham looks forward to using the expertise he has acquired in setting up the eye bank with the support of SightLife International. "Hopefully, the plan will work out and I will be able to apply the knowledge I have gained," says the cornea and anterior segment fellow with a glow in his eyes.

Pham is quite amazed by the cultural difference between the two countries. Even the relationship between a fellow and his/her professor is so different. "It's more of a friendship between the professor and the student in Vietnam but in India there is more respect for the professor." Despite the different culinary cultures of the two countries, he did not let the food upset him unlike many international trainees who find it difficult to adjust. "I chose it so I accept it," says Pham in a matter-of-fact tone.

Dr Pham Nguyen Huan is doing his long-term ophthalmology fellowship (January 2009 to April 2010) in Cornea & Anterior Segment Services at L V Prasad Eye Institute. Trainees continue to come from different parts of the world to the Institute for a variety of training needs ranging from specialized surgical techniques to ophthalmic nursing assistance .