Yunus briefs Hillary about Grameen healthcare plans

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton receives Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus at her US State Department office in Washington DC Wednesday. Photo: Grameen Bank

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday received Prof Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Healthcare delegation to the World Healthcare Congress at her office.
During a 90 minute meeting with the 14-member Grameen delegation, Prof Yunus briefed the secretary about Grameen's healthcare plans and social business initiatives.
Secretary Clinton, who visited Grameen Bank in 1995, and is a long-time proponent of microcredit for the poor, offered her support to Grameen's healthcare programme.
Prof Yunus discussed, in particular, the proposed creation of a Grameen Medical College and teaching hospital as joint venture collaboration with a leading school of medicine of a premier US university.
Prof Yunus updated the US secretary of state on the latest developments within Grameen Bank. He also emphasized the importance of a new legislation to create microfinance banks in the USA and other countries.
Hillary sought Prof Yunus's assistance in crafting a bill for that purpose. She pointed out that microfinance can play a key role during the current financial crisis by helping the unemployed generate to create self-employment.
The two leaders also discussed issues of global warming and environmental degradation and its threat to Bangladesh.
Yunus, pointing out that climate change was an issue of life and death for Bangladesh, requested Hillary Clinton's support for global action and initiatives to help Bangladesh counteract the effects of climate change.
He requested the secretary to pay special attention to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and help them cope with the current global financial crisis.
He also sought her help in allowing duty-free access to garment products from Bangladesh to the USA.