PM’s village prescription to ophthalmologists

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday called upon the ophthalmologists to go to the villages at least once a week to serve the rural poor..

Hasina also urged them to provide improved services, including facilities to operate cataract, to the rural people by organising eye camps in the villages every month.

The Prime Minister made the call while addressing the inaugural function of the 40th annual national conference of the Ophthalmological Society of Bangladesh (OSB) at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

The Prime Minister asked the ophthalmologists to sharpen their acquired knowledge through research and training and praised them for their contribution to public health.

She said that blindness was a serious public health problem in Bangladesh and there were nearly 750,000 visually-impaired people in the country. "Nearly 80 percent of blindness is due to cataract which is avoidable," she said.

Hasina said the blindness due to cataract could be cured through operation. So, the people needed to be aware of it and they would have to go to the ophthalmologists on time.

She called upon the physicians, media persons, social workers and service-oriented organisations to come forward and create necessary awareness.

The Prime Minister said that the rural poor people including women could not avail healthcare facilities on time due to financial and other limitations. "As a result they lose eyesight," she said.

“The negative impact of this blindness falls on the family, society and the national. It also reduces personal and family incomes, brings down national production and growth, ultimately affecting the country's economy,” she added.

With OSB President Dr Deen Mohammad Nurul Haque in the chair, the function was addressed, among others, by Health Minister Dr AFM Ruhal Haque, Prime Minister’s Health Adviser Prof Syed Modasser Ali, State Minister for Health Mazibur Rahman Fakir, OSB Secretary General Ziaul Islam Mohammad Ali and Chairman of conference organising committee Dr Sharfuddin Ahmad.