health & fitness
Social Business from page 29
This boy had bilateral implants in
Singapore and is being rehabilitated
at Professor Amin's hospital.
a guide...
We worked with Professor Pran
Gopal Datta at the Medical University
of Bangladesh, where he was appoint-
ed by the prime minister to be the vice
chancellor. He notes the most pressing
problem is population control and
would like to see birth control as the
primary concept to be disseminated.
We spoke of vaccination issues and
he thinks he could run a program
through the university.
We then worked with Professor
Yunus and his team at the Grameen
Bank (GB), including the managing
director, Imamus Sultan, who oversees
the two eye hospitals and 51 primary
care clinics across the country, and
Lamiya Morshed, executive director of
the Yunus Centre. The GB has agreed to
distribute vaccines to patients at all 51
centers if we are able to start the pro-
gram and lower the cost of the vaccine.
We were in awe and fully inspired
with the important work being done by
the GB, and we had the opportunity to
evaluate areas of need. Specifically, we
will address the following:
• Reduce SNHL with immunizations
and education.
• Set the stage for the creation of the
Grameen Ear Hospital.
• Train professionals and provide
care to patients using telemedicine.
• Employ simulation centers to fill
the void created by the legalities of
allowing visiting physicians "hands on
training" while in the U.S.
• Describe the need for rehabilitation
of those already affected by SNHL.
• Proactively address the issues of rick-
ets (fully preventable, see related story).
• Address the issue of population
control.
Samantha Caccamo, founder of
Social Business Earth, stayed on to visit
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the traumatic brothels where 11- and
12-year-old girls are forced to take
Oradexon, a dangerous cow steroid to
enhance their physical appearance and
look more appealing to their clients. She
visited Chakaria and the Cox's Bazaar
area, where rickets is rampant and
largely preventable, and she worked with
the minister of health.
I am convinced that when you have
the support of the GB, the minister
of health, the vice chancellor of the
medical university, and hard-working,
generous people in humanitarian
efforts, change will happen. With the
enormous needs of these people and
the lack of resources, the SB concept
created by Professor Yunus is a model
of success, and the time to act is now
Our plan is to open an ear hospital
with GB. We will need 15 audiologists
and otolaryngologists from Europe
and the U.S. who are willing to go to
Bangladesh in rotation for a period of
two weeks at a time to train the local
ENT doctors and assistants. Travel
and other expenses are the volunteer's
responsibility.
If you wish to share your expertise
at the Ear Hospital, please contact Dr.
Seidman, Mseidmal@hths.org, or
Samantha Caccamo, samantha@
socialbusinessearth.org .
expect and take the time to address all of your eye care
The Rickets Problem
needs in a friendly and professional environment.
For an appointment, call
240.594.6702
31500 Telegraph Rd., Ste 005
Bingham Farms. MI 48025
Evening hours available
Most insurances accepted
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April 28 4. 2011
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Nearly 400,000 children in
Bangladesh have rickets caused by
calcium deficiency (not vitamin D
deficiency, the usual cause). This is
believed to be in part related to the
severe rainy season that washes
away calcium in the soil.
The children develop severe rick-
ets and the country's "solution" is
to have surgeons perform osteoto-
mies (essentially, saw the bones and
"straighten" them). This is clearly an
illogical and almost inhumane way
to solve the problem.
Body Language Vitamin Co. is
working with Creations Garden to
create a supplement that solves
the issue (much better to prevent
rickets than to have surgery later).
We must develop a supplement,
that has a relatively long shelf life
(despite the humiditiy and the heat)
and is inexpensive.
Two organizations have been work-
ing on this problem, a French one
(AMD Aide Medical Development)
and SARPV (Social Assistance and
Rehabilitation to the Physically
Vulnerable) which is a Bangladeshi
nonprofit. They have not found the
solution yet, and they are strug-
gling to provide enough calcium to
children with rickets at an affordable
price. We believe we will be able to
solve the issue and preliminary stud-
ies are already in progress.
- Michael Seidman, M.D.