Sunday 12th August (Part 2)We visited the Resource Centre, where they have a range of low vision devices and training aids before driving to the BNSB Sirajganj base eye hospital. Sirajganj is in the north west of Bangladesh, a 3 hour drive from Dhaka. This meant we drove through some of the most badly hit flooded areas, and for much of the time it was like driving along a dyke across a massive lake. People were living in makeshift shacks by the side of the road, alongside their livestock.
We went to open a paediatric out patients department wing of the base eye hospital. It was a spacious modern wing, with bright murals and furniture. We toured the area then the rest of the hospital, which was full of cataract patients. I met my first children who were part of the
Bangadesh Childhood Cataract Campaign – five children ranging from six months old to about five years. All had bilateral cataracts, and some had been operated on the previous day. Although I have been with Sightsavers for more than two years now, it still moves me to meet a totally blind child, knowing that tomorrow that child will see for the first time.
The hospital, together with a number of associated sub centres in two other districts, performed over 13,000 cataract surgeries in 2006. The doctors I spoke to believed they could do twice as many if they were able to mobilise the patients, and they had plans to open a number of Vision Centres to help achieve this (small centres in more remote areas where they can screen people).
It was clearly an efficient operation, and Prof Matin, the President, was keen to do more. He was very scathing about government hospitals – saying the staff had the ‘wrong attitude’.
Our return journey to Dhaka was rather protracted as part of one of the roads had collapsed due to the floodwaters, causing a serious traffic bottleneck.
We went to open a paediatric out patients department wing of the base eye hospital. It was a spacious modern wing, with bright murals and furniture. We toured the area then the rest of the hospital, which was full of cataract patients. I met my first children who were part of the
Bangadesh Childhood Cataract Campaign – five children ranging from six months old to about five years. All had bilateral cataracts, and some had been operated on the previous day. Although I have been with Sightsavers for more than two years now, it still moves me to meet a totally blind child, knowing that tomorrow that child will see for the first time.
The hospital, together with a number of associated sub centres in two other districts, performed over 13,000 cataract surgeries in 2006. The doctors I spoke to believed they could do twice as many if they were able to mobilise the patients, and they had plans to open a number of Vision Centres to help achieve this (small centres in more remote areas where they can screen people).
It was clearly an efficient operation, and Prof Matin, the President, was keen to do more. He was very scathing about government hospitals – saying the staff had the ‘wrong attitude’.
Our return journey to Dhaka was rather protracted as part of one of the roads had collapsed due to the floodwaters, causing a serious traffic bottleneck.
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