Achhia Begum, 44, of Amratali village under Barura Upazila of Cumilla is an agricultural labour. She works at the agricultural lands of the farmers daily pay basis. She became dim-sighted in her left eye two years ago. Later, cataracts developed in her whole eye. But she couldn’t do the operation as the day labour didn’t have enough financial capacity.   

Achhia’s husband Yakub Ali said, “I was gathering information at various hospitals in Cumilla for my wife’s operation. But we used to come back from the hospitals after hearing the amount of money for the operation cost. A daylong free eye camp was held at Amratali Cherag Ali High School in the last month. I along with my wife went to eye camp. Doctors at the camp said Achhia needed a cataract operation for her eye. In the last week, Bashundhara Eye Hospital and Research Institute provided a free cataract operation for my wife. If they didn’t come towards us, my wife couldn’t see the light of this beautiful world. We have nothing to give them except prayer.”

The country’s renowned ophthalmologist and Chairman of the Vision Care Foundation Prof Dr. Md. Saleh Ahmed is in the lead to conduct the Bashundhara Eye Hospital & Research Institute.

About the dream of this eye hospital, Saleh Ahmed said, “My mother had an eye problem. But doctors couldn’t take the risk of operation as she had a problem with her eye bulb. At one stage my mother lost her eyesight. I was studying in my fourth year at that time. Since then, I have had a dream of building a hospital as none can be deprived of seeing the light of this world. None can be deprived of treatment due to lack of money. To implement my dream, I started depositing money. In 2010, I started to search for land for an eye hospital. Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan was informed about my plan.  He gave me land in the Bashundhara Residential Area to build the hospital. He also constructed the infrastructure of the hospital. Ahmed Akbar Sobhan fulfilled my dream by donating to the hospital. Poor are getting treatment free of cost through the joint efforts of Bashundhara Group and Vision Care Foundation”

“We provided treatment in remote areas of the country. It is our priceless joy when we see the smiling faces of the patients who get back eye-sighting after the operation. Our hearts feel comfort when patients offer prayer for us and show gratitude by keeping hands in our heads,” he added.

Eye-catching Bashundhara Eye Hospital and Research Institute was inaugurated in 2014. The hospital has been providing treatment relentlessly for the last 10 years. BEHRI is different from other eye hospitals. Low-cost treatment for low-income people and slightly more cost treatment for affluent people are provided by BEHRI alongside free treatment. People irrespective of religion, colour and poor can get treatment here. This hospital has a Shariah-based Zakat fund. It has also funds for people of other religions.  BEHRI provides medicines and eyeglasses and does investigations and operations besides the latest and modern treatment for poor patients. 

BEHRI Public Relations Officer Faeza Rahman said patients can take advice from the doctors at Tk 400 as an outdoor fee from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm. The fee for the private section of the outdoor is Tk 1,600. Patients can get treatment at any OPD of the hospital of their choice and financial capacity.   

“However, there is no difference in the quality of the service” she added.     

Bashundhara Eye Hospital and Research Institute provides world-class treatment. It has a world-standard operation theatre alongside other modern equipment.

Services offered at this hospital include - Cataract, Cornea & Anterior Segment Treatment, Vitreoretinal Treatment, Glaucoma Treatment, Orbit & Oculoplasty Treatment, Pediatric Ophthalmology, Contact Lenses, Macular Collagen Crosslinking, Topcon DRI OCT Triton Stereo Disc Photography, Optical Coherence Tomography (Macula, Optic Disc & Retina), OCT Angiogram (Macula & Optic Disc) Anterior Segment OCT, Topcon Retinal Camera Fundus Photography, FFA, FAF, Red Free Fundus Photography, UBM, Green Yag & SLT Laser, Low Vision Aid, Corneal Topography, Perimetry (Visual Field Analysis), B-Scan Ultrasound, Non-Contact Tonometry (Glaucoma Screening), Autolens Meter, Specular Microscopy, Cataract Station Equivalent IOL Master, Pachymetry, Biometry, Diagnostic Laboratory with all modern services.

@ The article was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on September 19, 2023 and has been rewritten in English by Golam Rosul.