By Bill Brower | GlobalGiving Field Program Officer
Bill Brower is a Field Program Officer with GlobalGiving who is visiting our partners’ projects throughout South and Southeast Asia. On May 21st he visited Karmirhath Hospital in Gaibandha, Bangladesh. His “Postcard” from the visit:
According to Abdus Sobhan, president of the organization Karmirhath, no one who comes to their hospital of the same name “goes away from here without treatment.” The hospital offers a range of treatments from doctors and surgeons—who also have private practices—that appear professional and competent in surprisingly well equipped treatment areas. I spoke with dental, diabetes, vision and maternal health specialists and saw these doctors consulting with patients.
Dr. Abdus Samad, one of the hospitals eye surgeons, says theirs is the only clinic with its capabilities in the district. The cost for the consultation is less than one dollar and many who come in can’t afford this, let alone the full surgery (mostly for cataracts). He says patients are asked to pay what they can. Covering the rest of the cost is where you donors come in. Patients come from all over the district and even surrounding districts. I asked if they advertise their services and he said they didn’t need to—word spreads on its own. This is a good sign for any organization.
On surgery days, scheduled once or twice a month, the surgeons can do thirty procedures in a day, changing the lives of people from three to seventy years old. Thank you for helping to bring sight to people in this remote area of Bangladesh.
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