Through our enduring partnership with Orbis, the international blindness prevention organization, Qatar Charity remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing eye care for both the local host population and the Rohingya community in Southeast Bangladesh. Today, we’re thrilled to share the inspiring success story of Mahmoda, which underscores the transformative impact of accessible, high-quality eye care services.
Table Of Contents
Improving Access to Eye Care Services
One of the primary objectives of this partnership is to improve access to eye care services through the establishment of vision centers and community outreach programs. These initiatives aim to reach marginalized communities, including the Rohingya population, ensuring that no one is left behind when it comes to essential eye care.
Increasing Awareness and Community Engagement
Efforts also focused on raising awareness among both Rohingya and host communities regarding the availability of primary eye care services. Frontline health workers, trained in primary eye care and referral protocols, played a pivotal role in disseminating information and facilitating access to vision centers and outreach programs.
Advocating for Comprehensive Eye Care Services
Furthermore, our partnership seeks to advocate for the establishment of a comprehensive district eye care service delivery model tailored to the needs of both Rohingya and host populations. By advocating for sustainable solutions, long-term accessibility and effectiveness of eye care services in the region is ensured.
Mahmoda’s Story
Mahmoda, a 65-year-old member of the host community, had been struggling with her vision for three years, hindering her daily activities. Thanks to a free eye care camp organized by Ukhiya Vision Centre, she was diagnosed with bilateral cataracts and underwent successful surgeries in April 2023 and January 2024. Expressing her gratitude, Mahmoda shared, “I am so happy with my present condition. After having surgeries on my two eyes, my mobility and difficulties with housework are gone.”
Her son echoed her sentiments, emphasizing the newfound hope and gratitude they felt towards Ukhiya Vision Center and CBBSH staff.
Conclusion:
Mahmoda’s story exemplifies the life-changing impact of accessible and quality eye care services. Through our partnership with Orbis, we remain committed to ensuring that individuals like Mahmoda receive the care they need to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. Together, we can continue illuminating hope and building brighter futures for communities in need.
About the Partnership
In April 2022, work supported by Qatar Charity began to tackle avoidable blindness in the Rohingya community and local host population in South East Bangladesh. The program aims to support over 300 people to be trained, from frontline health workers to doctors and nurses and will enable teams to carry out over 140,500 eye screenings, leading to 13,000 treatments by mid-2024.
Bangladesh is a densely populated country, of 160 million. Eye care services can be stretched as the majority of ophthalmologists are located within cities. With around one million refugees in the Cox’s Bazar area, the further development and expansion of eye health services is vital, to serve both the local host community as well as the Rohingya community, many of whom have never had access to medical care before.
