Grameen Healthcare Trust of Bangladesh and Saudi German Hospital Group of Saudi Arabia have decided to set up a trust to build hospitals for the poor strata of society in Bangladesh. An agreement to this effect was signed recently at Grameen Bank headquarters in Dhaka. Dr. Ahmad Mohamad Ali, President of the Islamic Development Bank, representatives of General Electric Healthcare - USA, were among prominent personalities attending the signing ceremony, according to a press release. Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and Eng. Sobhi Batterjee, President of the Saudi German Hospital Group (SGHG), at a January meeting in Dubai decided to join hands in setting up social business hospitals in Bangladesh. The trust will be dedicated to providing primary and secondary healthcare to the poorest and most disadvantaged people. Its activities will encompass the setting up of companies to establish hospitals, health clinics, and other health-related services. The first hospital to be established by the trust, named “Al-Sabeel-Grameen Hospital,” will initially have a space for 50 beds. More hospitals will be built around the country in future. Professor Yunus lauded the efforts of Saudi German Hospital Group. “After the establishment of our first 50-bed hospital, we hope to create several such hospitals for the benefit of the poor and disadvantaged. We look forward to our partnership with the Saudi German Hospital Group,” he said. __
