Dhaka, Oct 10 (bdnews24.com)—President M Zillur Rahman on Wednesday stressed collective efforts to eliminate curable blindness from Bangladesh where an estimated 0.8 million people cannot see even though vision in 80 percent of these cases can be restored.
"I believe we will be able to eliminate curable blindness with collective efforts," he said inaugurating the new building of Bangladesh Eye Hospital at Dhanmondi in Dhaka.
The hospital was earlier located at a rented space in Dhanmondi.
He urged international, volunteer and private organisations to join the government efforts in setting up eye camps at remote villages to provide primary eye care and cataract surgery to the poor people.
The government is addressing the issue of blindness through National Eye Care Program to improve infrastructure and technology even at district hospitals to provide quality eye care.
The President termed blindness a curse of human life and said many people had been suffering from curable blindness due to lack of awareness as well as treatment and social stigma.
He emphasised mass awareness programmes about the causes of blindness and urged Bangladesh Eye Hospital to make a system so that 'poor patients can get treatment at free of cost or at reduced prices.
Chairman of the hospital Dr Mahbubur Rahman Chowdhury said they planned to set up a few 'international standard' eye hospitals in Bangladesh.
"It's (the Bangladesh Eye Hospital at its own building) a first step of our dream," he said.
Managing Director Dr Niaz Abdur Rahman said they had been able to set up all sub-specialities of the eye, though a few are on small scales.
"Constantly we are adding modern technologies to our hospital," he said.
Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu and Prime Minister's Health and Family Affairs Advisor Prof Syed Modasser Ali also spoke the programme.
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