The flagship hospital of Grameen Health Care Services Ltd, Grameen Green Children (GC) Eye Hospital, was inagurated on 1 November, 2007 at Bogura, a northern district of Bangladesh, about 220 km from the capital city Dhaka. Catchment area of the hospital is Bogura District with 2900 sq.KM, and population is 3.5 million. Hospital is located at Betgari (Bonani), 3.5 km away from the main point (Sathmatha) of Bogura city, under Bogura municipality. Hospital is named Grameen Green Children (GC) Eye Hospital, since the Green Children Foundation, USA has contributed half million US Dollar for the hospital.

How Grameen GC Eye Hospital, Bogura works-

Modern equipment and latest technologies are being used in Grameen G.C. Eye Hospital, Bogura for identifying problems and treating eye patients. Ophthalmologists, Ophthalmic Assistants and the hospital staff are experienced and trained from Aravind Eye Hospital, a renowned eye hospital and Post Graduate Institute of Ophthalmology in India. Ophthalmologists have specialized training and expertise in performing cataract surgery by using Phaco emulsification machine. SEVA Foundation,USA and Aravind Eye Care System,India are supporting GHS for the training of the staffs.

Services

Grameen GC Eye Hospital, Bogura is providing eye care services in two way to ensure eye care services to the all classes of the community-

1. At hospital and

2. At the satellite camp, organized in the remote most areas

At hospital, GHS hospitals are providing services eye examination & consultation by Ophthalmologist, investigation of eye diseases, cataract surgery, other eye surgery on Orbit & Oculoplasty, Glaucoma, Cornea etc.

At the camp (community outreach program), patients are getting eye examination and prescription, required diagnostics services etc. Patients identified for surgery is brought to hospital and performed surgery at hospitals operation theater and brought to their their locality after surgery.

(Details of Community Outreach Program/ Eye Camp)

Price of Services

At the hospital, registration fee is only BDT 100 ($0.92). Patients gets eye examination and prescription by the registration fee. There are different types of services available for people of different classes of the community. Patients have option to choice their package of services depending upon their ability to pay.

There are various types of Cataract Surgery packages which starts from BDT 5,000($46.30) to BDT 75,000($694.44) depending upon IOL and technique using in the surgery. Other eye surgeries are provided at BDT 1,000 ($9.25) to BDT 5,500 ($50.92).

At the camp (community outreach program), patients are getting all services (eye examination and prescription, required diagnostics services etc.) free of cost. Cataract surgery is also free for poor and destitute. Subsidized rate of cataract surgery for the camp patients is BDT 2,650 ($24.53) but who cannot afford the cost are being subsidized.

Services Grameen GC Eye Hospital-Bogura

1. Consulatation

2. ECCE/SICS With Rigid IOL

3. Phaco With Foldable IOL

4. ECCE

5. Stich Removal

6. Removal of Corneal F.B

7. Dressing

8. Inj.sub con.Substenon

9. Tarsorrahaphy

10. Release of Tarsorrhaphy

11. Epilation

12. Entropion/Ectropion Correction

13. Lid Repair

14. Enucleation/Evisceration

15. Chalazion

16. DCT

17. DCR

18. Pterygium(Simple)

19. Pterygium(Graft)

20. Eye Camp

21. Health Education

Performance of the Bogura Hospital

Grameen GC Eye Hospital, Bogura rendered services to 11,80,331 from the inception, 01 Nov, 2007, to 31 December, 2023 among the number 3,10,184 patients have been treated at free of cost in the eye camps organized in the remotest area weekly. This hospital performed 73,138 eye surgeries from the inception to December/2023. Among the surgery 61,114 are cataract surgeries. Hospital provided at free of cast cataract surgery to 5,257 poor and destitute patients.

Today it is one of the most respected hospitals in the northern part of Bangladesh and is also amongst the most preferred destinations for both patients from several parts of northern part of Bangladesh, as well as for medical tourism and medical value travel. The hospital specializes in cutting-edge medical procedures. It has internationally trained doctors who are skillfully supported by dedicated patient-care personnel. It is one of the few hospitals in Bangladesh that have state of the art facilities for various eye health disorders.

NOTABLE FEATURES OF GHS EYE HOSPITALS

• Cross subsidy: earning from the rich patients are used for subsidy the poor and destitute

• Community Outreach Program or Satellite program well known as Eye Camp to reach to the poor and provide services free of cost

• The hospitals charge only BDT 100 for outpatient services;

• The above mentioned services are provided at free of charges in the eye camps at remote villages operated by the hospitals;

• Distressed, poorest and helpless patients get free surgery from these hospitals;

• The eye camp patients get subsidy package for eye surgery only by BDT 2650;

• For low income, middle class and well off patients there are several options/packages for surgery which they can choose according to their affordability.

• Staffs are trained from Aravind Eye Care System, India.

• Introduced new treatment protocol and system in the area

Future Plan of the Hospital

1.Introduction Super specialty Eye care services ( Retina and Cornea.).

2.Establishment of training center for Doctors and health care staffs.

3.Establishment of Vision centers /Consultation centers.

4.Establishment of Eye (Cornea) Bank.

5. Establishment of ophthalmic linkage industry

o Ophthalmic Surgical product

o Ophthalmic Pharmaceutical Product

o Setting of grinding machine of spectacle lens.