Bangladesh Plans Eye Care for 20 Million People Over Five Years
Published : 13:14, 8 October 2026
The government plans to bring eye care services to at least 20 million people across Bangladesh over the next five years, Health and Family Welfare State Minister Dr M.A. Muhit has said.
He also said the government aims to provide cataract surgery to at least one million people during the same period.
The state minister made the remarks on Thursday (October 8) at a discussion organised at CIRDAP in Dhaka to mark World Sight Day. The event was jointly organised by the INGO Forum and the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital (NIO&H).
Dr Muhit said the government plans to provide glasses to at least 10 million children and working-age people over the next five years so that poor vision does not disrupt children’s education or affect the productivity of working people.
He said the government also plans to provide cataract surgery to one million people as part of efforts to reduce blindness caused by cataracts.
To improve the quality of eye care, around 80 percent of the country’s eye-care doctors are planned to receive advanced training, including training in cataract surgery, the state minister said.
He added that the government is also working on a strategic roadmap and a healthcare financing plan to make eye-care services sustainable in the long term.
According to Dr Muhit, the initiative is not limited to providing medical treatment. The broader objective is to ensure that people do not fall behind in education, employment or everyday life because of preventable or treatable vision problems.
