A team of senior officials of Grameenphone Ltd. visited a Smiling Sun Clinic at College Bazaar, Potiya, Chittagong, on 18 December and inaugurated an emergency obstetric care facility at the clinic under a joint project, titled‘Safe Motherhood and Infant Care,’ by Grameenphone and Pathfinder International.
 
On behalf of Grameenphone Mr. Kafil H.S. Muyeed, Director New Business Division, Mr. Emad Ul Ameen, Director HR, Syed Yamin Bakht, Head of Information, Shuvashish Barua, Head of CSR and Md. Aulad Hossain, Head of Chittagong Region were present. Officials from Pathfinder International, FDSR and SUS were also present during the inauguration program.

Grameenphone launched the project, in partnership with Pathfinder International in May 2007, with an aim to provide free comprehensive primary healthcare services to the economically disadvantaged pregnant mothers and infants of the country, through the Smiling Sun Clinic network across Bangladesh.

As a part of this project support, Grameenphone helped establish an Emergency Obstetric Care center at the Family Development Services and Research (FDSR) clinic, a local NGO and one of the 317 static clinics under the Smiling Sun network, receiving support from Grameenphone. Grameenphone has also sponsored the additional recruitment of two general physicians and 12 consultant physicians in the clinic.

Furthermore, an ambulance was handed over to Samannita Unnayan Sangstha (SUS), another local NGO, for its Sitakunda Smiling Sun Clinic. This ambulance will be used for home delivery services and transportation of emergency patients.
Two of the eight Millennium Development Goals for Bangladesh are related to improving maternal health and reducing infant mortality rates and Grameenphone is working with relevant development agencies to support the Government in achieving these objectives.

Under the Safe Motherhood and Infant Care Project, Grameenphone is investing in improving service quality and extending access to healthcare by recruiting additional community-based health-workers, upgradation of some of the existing static clinics into emergency obstetric care centers, as well as providing motorized vans (i.e. ambulances) and clinic-on-wheels.
 
From August to October 2007, around 291,476 poor mothers and infants have received free healthcare services under this project. The project aims to reach around 800,000 mothers and infants annually.

Information Department
Grameenphone Ltd.
Phone: 9882990
email: info@grameenphone.com