Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has expressed Bangladesh's eagerness to collaborate with the global nonprofit Orbis International to expand eye care services in the country.
Speaking at a meeting with Orbis International President and CEO Derek Hodkey, he said that Bangladesh needs to enhance its eye care services and is ready to work with Orbis International toward this goal.
Derek, who is visiting Bangladesh as part of the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital's training program currently taking place in Chittagong, met Prof Yunus at his office in the capital on Wednesday, according to a press release issued on Sunday.
Orbis Bangladesh Country Director Dr Munir Ahmed accompanied Derek during the meeting with the chief adviser.
The Orbis president presented the chief adviser with a model version of the Flying Eye Hospital, which was highly appreciated.
Derek discussed Orbis International’s work, which began its global sight-saving programs in 1982.
In Bangladesh, Orbis has been collaborating with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for 39 years.
During this period, Derek shared that Orbis has conducted over 7.8 million eye screenings at community outreach events, provided more than 4.5 million medical and optical treatments to adults and children, performed over 258,000 eye surgeries, and trained more than 40,000 eye care professionals in the country.
Prof Yunus acknowledged Orbis's contributions to the eye health sector in Bangladesh and expressed his appreciation for the Flying Eye Hospital, which is currently conducting its 11th training program in the South Asian country.
"I love Orbis. I love the Flying Eye Hospital," he said, highlighting that Orbis is one of the key players in Bangladesh's eye health sector.
Derek noted that Orbis delivers sight-saving programs in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, helping individuals, families, and communities thrive.
Pointing out that approximately one billion people globally suffer from completely avoidable blindness and vision loss, Derek explained that Orbis has been tackling this challenge for over four decades by building strong and sustainable eye care systems.
According to Derek, the nonprofit runs dedicated in-country programs across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, while also developing and implementing innovative training and technology.
Over the past four decades, Derek emphasized, Orbis has helped improve the skills and knowledge of local partners in Bangladesh, focusing on pediatric eye care, microsurgery, retinal surgery, corneal diseases, retinopathy of prematurity, and diabetic retinopathy.
Derek informed the Chief Adviser that Orbis has established 42 vision centers, connecting communities, especially in rural areas, with eye care. Additionally, Orbis has supported the establishment or improvement of 17 secondary hospitals, four tertiary hospitals, two wet labs, one quality resource center, and one digital training hub.
Furthermore, Orbis has equipped 400 community clinics with vision screening tools and developed Bangladesh's first national guidelines for the screening and management of retinopathy of prematurity, a leading cause of childhood blindness.