The government has published a set of guidelines for combating retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), the leading cause of childhood blindness in Bangladesh, for the first time in the country’s history.
The cover of the document, the National Guidelines for Screening and Management of ROP, was unveiled at a function at Renaissance hotel in the capital on Saturday afternoon, read a press release.
“The incidence of ROP-caused blindness could be reduced substantially if the guidelines are followed properly,” DGHS Director General Prof Khurshid Alam said while speaking at the ceremony.
Directorate General of Medical Education (DGME) Director General Prof Dr AHM Enayet Hussain called upon the stakeholders to work in a coordinated way and with a sense of ownership to implement the guidelines to combat childhood blindness.
Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Director General Prof Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam, DGHS Director Dr Md Shamsul Haque, Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) President Prof Dr Mohammod Shahidullah, and representatives of other stakeholders unveiled the cover.
Orbis International Bangladesh Country Director Dr Munir Ahmed, UNICEF Bangladesh Chief of Health Maya Vandenent, IRD Global Bangladesh Country Director Dr Tapash Roy, BSMMU Department of Ophthalmology Professor Dr Nuzhat Choudhury, and Prof Dr Nazmoon Nahar were also present at the guideline unveiling ceremony.
The main objective of the guidelines is to provide gynaecologists and obstetricians, neonatologists, ophthalmologists, anaesthesiologists and allied eye care professionals, teams of special care newborn unit (SCANU) and newborn intensive care unit (NICU), hospital managers, and development organisations with a framework for developing eye care health services for the prevention of childhood blindness caused by ROP.
The National Newborn Health Program (NNHP) and Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) have prepared and published the guidelines in collaboration with Ophthalmological Society of Bangladesh (OSB), Obstetrics and Gynecological Society of Bangladesh (OGSB), Bangladesh Neonatal Forum (BNF), Orbis International, IRD Global, WHO, UNICEF, Save the Children.
BSMMU, National Eye Care (NEC), National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital (NIOH) offered technical assistance for the preparation of the guidelines.
It is estimated that around 1,69,640 babies are affected by ROP every year as approximately 14.5 per cent or 4,24,100 babies are born prematurely ie before the start of the 37th week of gestation, in the country out of the 3.75 million births annually.
