Grameenphone to continue partnership with Sightsavers

Grameenphone to continue partnership with Sightsavers
Grameenphone Ltd. has renewed its partnership with Sightsavers International to provide free eye-care support to the economically disadvantaged people of the rural Bangladesh. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed in this regard between Grameenphone and Sightsavers International on 27th August, 2008.

The agreement was signed at the conclusion of the earlier partnership agreement between the two organizations, prevailing for last one year. Under the contract, GP and Sightsavers International will continue to jointly organize free eye-care camps in different parts of the country where eye-care services are not readily available.

Ahmed Raihan Shamsi, Director, Financial Management & Company Secretary, Grameenphone and Rifat Shapar Khan, Programme Manager, Sightsavers International signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations. Iqbal Mahmood, Secretary, Ministry of Post & Telecommunication was present as the chief guest at the signing ceremony.
Khalid Hasan, Director, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, Emad Ul Ameen, Director, Human Resources of Grameenphone and other officials of Sightsavers International and Grameenphone were also present on the occasion.
Grameenphone, jointly with Sight Savers International, organizes the eye camps and provides associated actual cost for organizing the camps and also provide surgery costs which includes transportation and follow-up visit cost of patients.
All patients registering for these camps are given routine examinations. Prescriptions for refractive error are given and Intra Ocular Lens (IOL) or cataract surgeries are administered to those who require it.
Till date, around 13,000 patients have received free eye-care support and over 1,500 cataract surgeries have been performed through nine eye-care camps conducted in different parts of Bangladesh since last year.
Bangladesh has the highest number of blind people compared to its population. There are about 750,000 blind adults and 40,000 blind children, among which cataract accounts for 80% of the blindness. The major challenge in eliminating blindness in Bangladesh is reaching the rural and underserved population as the vast majority of eye-care facilities are based in the big cities.
Sightsavers International, an organization committed to combating blindness in developing countries, has been working in Bangladesh since 1973.
Corporate Communications DepartmentGrameenphone Ltd.Telephone: 9882990email: info@grameenphone.com