Eye health needs coordinated awareness, not just treatment: Health Minister
Expanding eye-care services alone is not enough to protect the eye health of the people of the country; coordinated and multi-pronged awareness programmes are needed. Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain called on all concerned parties to work together alongside the health sector for this.
He said this on Sunday (8 November) while speaking as chief guest at a workshop titled 'Multi-sectoral action plan validation and finalisation on eye health in Bangladesh' at Hotel InterContinental in the capital.
Additional Secretary of the Health Services Division A N M Moinul Islam presided over the workshop.
The health minister said that to reduce the risk of eye disease, it is not enough to think only about eye health. Overall health risks including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and kidney disease must also be considered together. Everyone must be regularly careful and aware about their own health.
He said the government alone cannot ensure everyone's health protection. Awareness must therefore be raised at all levels of society. Diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke alongside damage to the eyes and kidneys.
Cataract surgery, on the other hand, is expensive for many people. So alongside disease prevention and early detection, doctors must work together to protect eye health, the health minister said.
Sakhawat Hossain said diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, eye and kidney diseases are closely linked to one another. Considering these diseases in isolation and treating them separately cannot ensure people's overall health protection. Coordinated treatment and preventive initiatives are needed for this.
Emphasising the formation of effective groups or platforms of specialist doctors for different diseases, he said such platforms should jointly raise public awareness, prevent disease and ensure treatment services.
Through these platforms, people will be able to become aware in advance about serious health risks such as kidney and eye damage from diabetes or stroke from high blood pressure, the health minister said.
