Momotaz Eye Hospital was established by the famous singer and present Member of Parliament (MP) Momotaz Begom on 07 January 2004. This is a 30-bedded highly specialised non-profitable charity private eye hospital situated at the heart of the town Manikganj that is about 50 km south of the capital Dhaka. Also Momotaz Eye Hospital is the only specialised eye hospital in the whole Manikganj district.
The hospital is serving with the objectives of eliminating curable blindness as per World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Policy Document: Vision 2020, the Right to Sight. It provides services to the eye patients through out-patient department (OPD) & patients’ screening programmes (PSP) and offers cataract and other common eye surgeries at very low costs. The hospital worked jointly with ORBIS International1 for three years and declared Manikganj district free from cataract in December 2009. Also it worked with BRAC2 for one year to screen out cataract & pterygium patients and to perform surgeries in Manikganj and Faridpur. There are four sub-centres within 30 km radius of this hospital providing primary eye care to the remote and underprivileged people:
Nirali sub-centre: Weekly sub-centre situated at Nirali Bazar of Daulatpur upazila, Manikganj. Saturia sub-centre: Weekly sub-centre at Kawalipara Bazar of Saturia upazila, Manikganj. Bolora sub-centre: Fortnightly sub-centre at Bolora Bazar of Harirampur upazila, Manikganj. Jamsha sub-centre: Monthly sub-centre situated at North Jamsha Bazar of Singair upazila, Dhaka. Apart from some technical and logistic support of ORBIS International in early 2007, Momotaz Eye Hospital does not have any financial support from any personnel or organisation at national or international level.
1ORBIS International: New York based organisation serving developing countries possessing the only flying (Boeing-707) eye hospital in the world.
2BRAC: The largest NGO of Bangladesh fighting poverty nationally and internationally. Performance at a Glance
Since its establishment, Momotaz Eye Hospital has provided treatment to about 4 million patients and performed about 60 thousand surgeries. Small incision cataract surgery (suture-less) with intra-ocular lens implant costs only BDT 3,500/- in this hospital which includes pre-operative investigations, pre & post-operative medications, operative procedure including intra-ocular lens and seat-rent. So far about 30 thousand cataract surgeries have been performed by this hospital, out of which about 14 thousand surgeries were performed on partial payment or absolutely free of cost. Almost 72% of all cataract surgeries in Manikganj district is performed alone by this hospital. In 2009, Momotaz Eye Hospital introduced world class phacoemulsification surgery (manufactured by Nidek, Japan) for the first time in the whole territory of Manikganj, Tangail, Pabna, Rajbari and Faridpur districts. Additionally, in 2013 laser DCR3 surgery (manufactured by Intermedic, Spain) was introduced by this hospital which is still the only laser DCR machine in this territory. In February 2016, Momotaz Eye Hospital has introduced B-scan ultrasonography (manufactured by Nidek, Japan which is a revolutionary combined unit of ocular biometry, pachymetry and B-scan ultrasonography). In October 2018, the hospital has opened highly sophisticated and well equipped Low Vision Department with special assistance of Prof. Other common eye surgeries performed in this hospital include manual DCR, DCT4, excision of pterygium with Mitomycin-C or conjutival auto-graft, evisceration with or without acrylic ball implant, incision & curettage of chalazion, etc. Social Attributes
“Quality eye care service for all” – Momotaz Eye Hospital strongly believes in this motto. It has strongly been instructed by the founder chairperson that no one would ever leave the hospital untreated for money. Starting from the street beggar to a millionaire the hospital provides equal quality service to everybody. Since 2007 Momotaz Eye Hospital has not increased the charge of any surgery a single penny although the quality of service, number of staff and their salary have been increased several times during this period. Some Other Ventures
As a part of social responsibility, Momotaz Begom MP has extended her hands and established another charity hospital. Momotaz Child & Eye Hospital
This hospital is situated in a remote village of Singair upazila of Manikganj named Joymantap. It’s a 20-bedded general hospital with emphasis on child and eye care. Other departments include gynaecology, medicine and diagnostic laboratory. This hospital was established on 10 May 2008. Momotaz Begom MP donated her 10 decimal land with a two storied building for this hospital. Momotaz Foundation
On 06 May 2009, Momotaz Begom MP established Momotaz Foundation in order to help poor patients coming to her hospitals for surgery. The foundation generates its own fund deducting BDT 100/- from every paid patient coming for surgery. While a poor patient comes for surgery and fails to pay, the foundation pays the amount to the hospital on his/her behalf. This protects the hospitals from any financial difficulties as well as helps the poor coming here for health service. The foundation also funds local mosques, temples, schools and even some sport events. Corporate Partners
• Mustafiz Glaucoma Research & Eye Hospital
125/3 Darus Salam Road
Mirpur-1, Dhaka-1216.
• Vision Eye Hospital Pvt. House-1/1, Block-E, Lalmatia
Sat Masjid Road, Mohammadpur, Dhaka-1207.
• Green Eye Hospital Ltd. House-18, Road-6
Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205. A New Journey
During its establishment in 2004, Momotaz Eye Hospital was being operated in a rented space of just 2,500 sq ft. In 2008 the area has been expanded to 5,000 sq ft. But the overwhelming response from the patients all over the country makes this space absolutely inadequate for the hospital. By this time the house rent has increased five times than that of 2004. Being a charity hospital and considering all these hurdles, in December 2014 a small land of five decimal was purchased at Manora beside Dhaka-Aricha highway. Land development had been completed in June 2016. After finalising the architectural design of the building as well as the working design, main construction began in August 2016 and took almost a year to finish. Foundation of the building is of six storied and the main structure is steel made. At present, it’s a three storied building and a basement parking having approximately 2,000 sq ft area each floor. The whole cost of construction was solely borne by Momotaz Begom MP.
