| Grameen
Kalyan (GK), another Grameen company, meaning Grameen Well-being,
undertakes programs to promote the well-being of the members
of Grameen Bank (GB). It operates a health program (HP) which
comprises of 20 health centers each with its own qualified
physician, an office manager, a female paramedic/nurse, a
laboratory technician and five female health assistants. Every
health center has the capacity to serve a population of 30-35
thousand people. It provides services to both Grameen members
and other villagers. This HP was one of the few ways through
which Grameen tries to reduce vulnerability of the poor which
are due to ill health and income erosions.
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Grameen
Kalyan Staff with Cataract Patients |
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Recently
the HP has added cataract blindness program, with trained
ophthalmologists and support staff, to its existing general
healthcare program.
The
main objectives of the cataract blindness program are to bring
this state of the art technological facility right at the
doorstep of the rural people. It introduces outreach centre
based operation, makes efforts to reduce cataract backlog
of the area and ensure that the project runs in a sustainable
manner. GK has made cataract operation very inexpensive for
the poor.
The
charges of operation are low both for the general patient
as well as the patient who is GB borrower. For cataract operation
with IOL implantation, it costs a GB borrower an amount of
$27.58 while a non-Grameen patient pays $60.34, including
the cost of the lens. Likewise, the charge for other operations
for the former is $6.89, while the latter pays a reduced charge
of $10.34.
Generally
more than 60% of people suffer from malnutrition in rural
areas which leads to nutritional blindness and childhood mortality
and morbidity. Blindness from cataract, particularly in old
age, makes the earning member handicapped and a burden for
the family. It is a very common eye disease and surgically
curable. In Bangladesh it is estimated that nearly 1% of the
total population suffers from cataract, while it accounts
for 40% of total blindness in the world. On an average, 70%
of the total cases are operated in outreach center surgery
or in medical institutions while the rest is added to the
cataract backlog every year. GK felt that it could contribute
meaningfully in reducing the number of cataract blindness
by utilising the network of HP. This became feasible when
Mr. Mike Lynskey, Executive Director of Fred Hollows Foundation
(FHF) of Australia and Dr. S. Ruit of Tilganga Eye Center
(TEC), Nepal met Professor Muhammad Yunus, and the Managing
Director of GK. They agreed to provide technical support to
GK in initiating cataract prevention program.
In
November 2001, a team of two ophthalmologists and two ophthalmic
assistants were employed and were sent to TEC, Nepal where
they received basic surgical training in standard operating
procedure, theatre processes to enable high volume surgery
at low cost and eye program planning to conduct outreach activities.
GK
established an eye centre at Alenga in Tangail District two
hours drive from the capital when they had a trained and well-equipped
team. They conducted OPD at the project site and visited existing
health centres and GB Branches.
The
team started its activities on 6 February 2002. By May 2003
the team treated 8740 eye patients (5178 female, 3562 male)
in different health centers. Among those 1,420 cataracts patients
have been identified and advised for extra capsular cataract
extraction and posterior chamber intra-ocular lens implantation
(ECC E+PC IOL), 1209 went through refractive error correction
procedure, and 109 received minor surgery.
The
team started its low cost (less than 25% of the market value)
high volume ECCE+IOL operation in 17 April 2002 at Alenga
operation theatre (AOT). Till May 2003, they operated 592
cases of cataract from different areas at AOT and mega camp.
The
success of the program can be seen from the fact that of 85%
blind patients treated 57% achieved good vision and 33% achieved
borderline vision according to visual acuity analysis.
From
Grameen Kalyan report
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