With support from the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP), The Fred Hollows Foundation has had the flexibility to repurpose funds from their Comprehensive Eye Care activities in Bangladesh to responding to COVID-19 pandemic.
The fund will nearly assist 100 eye care professionals, benefit 20,000 people in accessing eye healthcare services, and raise health awareness for more than 10,000 people.
The Foundation’s Bangladesh Country Manager Dr. Zareen Khair said the efforts would support COVID-19 activities across the country to supply five hospitals with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and increase health messaging.
“We would like to thank both The Fred Hollows Foundation and Australian Aid for supporting us with the PPEs and other necessary equipment during COVID-19 Situation,” said Dr. ATM Tamjidul Islam Sajay, Ophthalmologist at Mazharul Haque BNSB Eye Hospital in Chandpur.
In Bangladesh, the coronavirus epidemic is threatening medical personnel including eye health workers who are being redeployed to help with the growing health crisis.
Eye health workers are also risking their lives to care for patients living with blindness and visual impairment as they are in close contact with patients during consultation, screening or treatment service.
A shortage of PPE in Bangladesh means eye health workers are at risk of getting infection because of potential exposure to patients with COVID-19 virus infection. Our partner hospitals have been forced to limit their operating capacity and decided to only receive emergency cases.
The team launched a COVID-19 prevention awareness campaign in poor, remote and urban areas in Dhakka, a home to the largest number of confirmed cases. The national mass campaign aims to help change people’s behaviour and raise their awareness about lockdown lifestyle, social distancing, hygiene, symptoms and helpline numbers.
In Bangladesh, 750,000 people are blind and more than 6 million are vision disability. Almost 1.3 million children live with low vision due to refractive errors, the second largest cause of visual impairment in Bangladesh.
