State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr MA Muhit has said advanced eye care will be made available at the upazila level, with separate outdoor, indoor and operation theatre facilities for eye treatment to be introduced at the 151-bed full-fledged hospitals currently under construction in every upazila.
“At the same time, the government is finalising an integrated National Eye Care Plan with targets of conducting around 10 lakh cataract surgeries, distributing several crore pairs of spectacles and providing treatment for diabetic retinopathy across the country,” he said.
The state minister made the remarks while formally inaugurating the World Health Organization’s "WHO SPECS 2030 Initiative" at a hotel in the capital on Tuesday.
Dr Muhit said the government is giving the highest priority to the health sector and is committed to taking modern eye care services to the upazila level. The work of transforming upazila health complexes into 151-bed full-fledged hospitals is underway.
“Advanced eye care facilities will be provided in around 500 upazilas so that people at the grassroots no longer have to travel to district towns or the capital for treatment,” he said.
Highlighting the government’s plan to strengthen primary healthcare at the grassroots, the health state minister further said primary eye care would be included as a mandatory component in the training of one lakh health workers currently being recruited by the government.
Referring to plans to increase the capacity of the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital (NIOH), the state minister said a major project has been undertaken to modernize and expand the institute, which will be implemented soon.
Over the past six months, the Ministry of Health has been regularly coordinating with international and local organizations to improve and expand eye care services. Through high-level government efforts, Bangladesh has also secured a major commitment to host a global summit, he said.
Acting Director of the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital Professor Dr ASMM Qaudir, WHO Regional Adviser Dr Tashi Tobgay and WHO Representative to Bangladesh Dr Ahmed Jamsheed Mohammed, among others, spoke at the program.
