The government plans to invest $130 million over the next five years to expand eye healthcare across Bangladesh, including 10 lakh free cataract operations and the distribution of 1 crore spectacles, State Minister for Health and Family Welfare MA Muhit said on Thursday.
The initiative also aims to bring nearly 2 crore people under primary eye healthcare coverage, extending treatment to every district and remote area of the country.
Muhit announced the plan at a discussion marking World Sight Day 2026 at the CIRDAP Conference Room in Dhaka, jointly organised by the INGO Forum and the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital (NIO&H).
He said the five-year investment would focus on training ophthalmologists, expanding eye care infrastructure and facilities and ensuring access to necessary treatment.
The government also plans to introduce special eye care services for schoolchildren, including vision screening, the provision of spectacles and other necessary treatment.
Muhit said bringing quality eye healthcare to people’s doorsteps remained a top government priority, adding that services would be expanded to improve accessibility nationwide.
NIO&H Director Syed Mehboob Ul Quadir chaired the discussion, while Afsana Habib Sheuly, Programme Head of Helen Keller International, conducted the session.
Among those attending were Munir Ahmed, Country Chair of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) Bangladesh Chapter and Country Director of Orbis International, Md Zinnu Rain (Newton), Secretary General of the Ophthalmological Society of Bangladesh (OSB), and Md Touhidur Rahman, OSB President.
