A plaque of DBBL financial support was unveiled by Diabetic Association's President Prof AK Azad Khan, its vice president and veteran jurist Barrister Rafique-ul Huq and Dutch-Bangla Bank Foundation's Chairman M Shahabuddin Ahmed Tuesday.

Country's first 'Organ Transplant Centre', set up at Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital and Research Institute, has been more equipped and modernised with the financial support of Dutch-Bangla Bank Ltd (DBBL).

The Bank provided Tk 93.6 million, under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, to Diabetic Association of Bangladesh to modernise the centre by setting up a cath lab, operation theatres and beds for organ transplant surgery.

In this regard, a plaque of the financial support was unveiled Tuesday by the diabetic association's President Prof AK Azad Khan, its vice president and veteran jurist Barrister Rafique-ul Huq and the Dutch-Bangla Bank Foundation's Chairman M Shahabuddin Ahmed at a ceremony held at the hospital premises.

Presided over by Chairman of Board of Management of Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital Prof Mahmudur Rahman, the function was addressed, among others, by Mr Azad, Mr Huq, Chairman of Executive Committee of the DBBL Board Sayem Ahmed, DBBL Managing Director KS Tabrez, Secretary General of the diabetic association Mohammad Saif Uddin and Chief Executive Officer and senior consultant of the hospital Dr MA Rashid.

The function was also attended by a good number of senior officials and staffs of the hospital.

Since inception of the organ transplant centre, Bangladeshi surgeons of BIRDEM in the Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital successfully conducted two liver transplant surgeries for the first time in the country on June 3, 2010 and August 6, 2011.

Mr Huq highly praised the Bank's management for the donation in the health and education sectors.

He expected that other Banks and corporate bodies would come forward with their benevolent hands to develop the heath services in the country.

Mr Azad Khan appreciated DBBL for its humanitarian and welfare activities and termed its support as a unique example in fulfilling the medical needs of the people thereby glorifying the noble venture to modernise the health sector of the country.

Thanking the management of Dutch-Bangla Bank and the foundation for their contribution in health sector, he said that a great achievement of the country's health sector was that a significant number of patients would get treatment of such transplantation at home.

Mr Sayem Ahmed praised the authorities of the Diabetic Association for their continuous endeavor in setting up an independent Organ Transplant Centre.

He also thanked them for approaching Dutch-Bangla Bank in partnering with this expansion program of Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital & Research Institute.

Financial Express/Bangladesh/ 29th Feb 2012