Tk 3.5b govt fund can eliminate cataract blindness from country

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FE Report
A New York-based organisation said elimination of cataract blindness from the country would be possible within the next five years if they got government fund of Tk 3.50 billion for the purpose.
The international NGO, ORBIS, which has been fighting against cataract blindness for the last several years in Bangladesh, confidently made the hope at an experience-sharing meeting of one of its pilot projects at Dhaka Reporters Unity in the city Wednesday.
It also declared Manikganj district, where the three-year-long project of Tk 30 million was successfully implemented, free from cataract blindness after successful surgeries of 7,270 cataract blindness in the district.
"We've technologies and experience in how to eliminate such blindness. If we got the fund the cataract blindness will be possible to be eliminated from the country by 2015," ORBIS Country Director Abu Raihan said adding the amount would be spent for the purpose of planning, monitoring, implementation and management.
He said they estimated the cost calculating the amount they spent in the Manikganj project. "There are 0.90 million people who are suffering from cataract blindness in the country."
Citing the WHO-declared Vision 2020, he said Bangladesh had signed a global agreement aiming at eliminating cataract blindness from the universe by 2020. "The target will be achieved by 2015 if the government's support is available," he added.
The global NGO has completed the project in Manikganj district through PPP (public-private partnership) method with the participation of the district hospital, Mamataz Eye Hospital and a local NGO Dip Jele Jai.