Structural changes in the relevant departments are essential to create a country free from preventable blindness and to ensure universal health coverage, according to Nurjahan Begum, Adviser to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
She made these remarks while addressing the inauguration of the "Bangladesh in Sight: System Leadership Approach to Eye Health" project, a joint initiative by Sightsavers and The Fred Hollows Foundation, at a hotel in Sylhet on Saturday.
"Eye health is an integral part of overall health. Many people in our country are still deprived of basic health services, especially eye care, which is more difficult for neglected and disadvantaged communities. In order to remove these obstacles, it is necessary to include eye care in comprehensive health care. This will help achieve the goal of universal health coverage. And for this, we need inter-ministerial and inter-departmental coordination," Nurjahan Begum said.
Thanking Sightsavers and The Fred Hollows Foundation for their continuing commitment towards improving the quality of eye health services in Bangladesh and for this promising initiative as well as for the time-befitting project, especially the System Leadership Approach, she added: "This is not just a project launching, but creating a transformative path to tackle one of the most pressing health issues in our country. The government is currently working in a changing situation, and it is very important to work in a coordinated manner in the health sector like other sectors, which is the essence of this project."
Professor Dr Khair Ahmed Chowdhury, Director of the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital, presided over the program and said: "The goal of the Bangladesh in Sight project is to build an inclusive and accessible health system, which is very much in line with the vision of the current government. The project focuses on system change to ensure eye health in a sustainable and integrated manner. This will strengthen coordination between different sectors so that eye health is no longer seen in isolation but is considered as part of a larger health and social development agenda."
He added: "The National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital (NIO) is leading in developing eye health services in Bangladesh, especially preventing blindness. In addition, the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospitals is committed to working together with other agencies of the government, the private sector, civil society and the community to ensure universal health coverage, especially in developing eye health services."
Special guest, Md Monirul Islam, Additional Secretary, SDG Affairs, Office of the principal adviser, said: "Ensuring eye health services is integral to achieving universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) where no one should leave behind. Without rendering all services, including health, accessible to everyone and the collective efforts of all the concerned departments, achieving the SDGs by 2030 would be difficult."
Amrita Regina Rosario, Country Director, Sightsavers, in her welcome address, spoke about the project, saying: "It will work to build leadership from traditional systems by prioritising innovation and inter-sectoral synergies rather than following conventional concepts or activities, thereby supporting the government's efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 by integrating eye health into existing systems in the respective service sectors."
Mosabbir Alam, Cluster Director of The Fred Hollows Foundation, said: "One of the key objectives of this project is to provide primary eye health services to the doorsteps of disadvantaged communities who are deprived of minimum access to health care, where the collective efforts of all the concerned departments are essential. Otherwise, the implementation of the project will be hampered."
The desired outcome of this project will be to create access to eye health care for all in three phases.
In the first part, a national-level network will be built in cooperation with the government and UNDP that will impact policymaking.
The second part is an initiative to work together with the labour-intensive garment sector and BGMEA so that the vast workforce of this sector can work in a healthy environment to accelerate productivity, which is very important for our economy.
The third part will integrate eye health services led by local partners in the Sylhet division with other sectors in health and beyond, which will help enhance the ongoing actions taken in support of marginalised communities.
Officials of health, education, family welfare, social service, district administration, police administration, women and children affairs, UNDP, representatives of international and national NGOs, and media representatives participated in the program.
