EBL partners with friendship on healthcare, safe water

Eastern Bank PLC (EBL), as part of its corporate social responsibility initiatives, has partnered with Friendship to expand access to essential healthcare and safe drinking water for vulnerable communities across Bangladesh.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the two organisations at EBL's head office in Dhaka. Additional Managing Director Ahmed Shaheen formally handed over a cheque to Friendship founder and executive director Runa Khan, marking the start of the collaboration.

Under Friendship's Char Surgery Access Programme, the partnership will bring specialist surgical care to isolated river island communities in northern Bangladesh. More than 1,000 surgeries are planned under the initiative, aiming to restore sight, mobility, dignity, and quality of life for patients who often have little or no access to specialised treatment.

Using Friendship's floating hospitals—Emirates Friendship Hospital and Lifebuoy Friendship Hospital—along with satellite clinics and trained community medic-aides, the initiative will offer procedures including cataract surgery, burn contracture repair, prolapse correction, Achilles tendon surgery, and other essential general surgeries.

Speaking at the event, Ahmed Shaheen said, 'Friendship continues to play an instrumental role in humanitarian service through its unique fleet of floating hospitals. We are pleased to partner with Friendship to support initiatives that address healthcare gaps while also helping communities adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change.'

On behalf of Friendship, Runa Khan said, 'This partnership brings together two urgent priorities for vulnerable communities: access to essential surgical care and access to safe drinking water. By addressing both, we are not only improving health and quality of life, but also strengthening resilience in communities living on the front lines of exclusion and climate vulnerability.'

In addition to healthcare support, EBL will fund the installation of two multi-source water treatment plants in Shyamnagar, a cyclone-prone coastal area where freshwater sources are often contaminated by salinity and other climate-related impacts. Each plant will be able to produce up to 1,000 litres of purified water per hour, serving around 400 families.

The signing ceremony was attended by senior representatives from both organisations. From Friendship, they included senior director, legal and CFO Muhammed Shameem Reza; senior director and head of strategy, planning and climate action Kazi Amdadul Hoque; deputy director—health Dr Rafi Abul Hasnath Siddique; and assistant director, partnership development Enamul Haque. Representing EBL were head of communications and external affairs Ziaul Karim, company secretary Md Abdullah Al Mamun, head of administration Maj Md Abdus Salam, psc (Retd), and head of business information systems Md Maskur Reza, FCA.