Chittagong Eye Infirmary & Training Complex

Recognizing the shortage of ophthalmic services in the country and the urgent need for more efforts in this area, a group of ophthalmologists and social workers from Chittagong came together to form a voluntary organization called the ‘Bangladesh National Society for the Blind (BNSB)’ Chittagong. It is a community-based, non-government organization with three main goals: prevention, cure, and rehabilitation of the blind and visually impaired. The society started with a modest fund of just US$100. Prof. Rabiul Husain served as the founder Honorary General Secretary of the society.

Within a year, the organization began its outreach activities by setting up a 40-bed Eye Hospital with an outpatient department in a borrowed space at Anderkilla, Chittagong. The support of the late Mr. Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury, the then Minister of Health & Social Welfare, and the overwhelming backing from the local community were key to establishing this service.

From the very beginning, the organization focused on providing services to rural areas through mobile outreach programs. Using the hospital as a base, it launched intensive mobile eye camps to reach underserved rural populations who had suffered needless blindness for many years.

The first mobile eye camp was held in 1973 at Cox’s Bazar, 150 km south of Chittagong. This initiative drew attention from both domestic and international blind welfare workers. Late Sir John Wilson from the UK and Mrs. Rosi Gollmann, Founder President of Andheri-Hilfe e.V. from Germany, offered their support.

In 1975, the Society launched its School Eye Health Programme with the aim of detecting and treating visual and other ocular defects in school-going children at an early stage. This program received support from Andheri-Hilfe.