Press Release

Grameen Healthcare Trust and GE Healthcare announces partnership to explore social business healthcare delivery models for Bangladesh and other countries of the developing world
Partnership Supports Social Business Models To Help Address Health Needs Of 4 Billion People Around the World Who Live on Less Than a US$ 3 a day
Dhaka December 22, 2008 -- Grameen Healthcare Trust, a sister company of Grameen Bank , the pioneering micro-financing organization in Bangladesh that shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for its work to alleviate poverty and GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), today announced that they will work together to develop prototype of social businesses for healthcare delivery in Bangladesh, to be replicated in other countries of the developing world.

The partners will jointly evaluate ways to improve Grameen Healthcare Trust's existing healthcare delivery systems and primary care clinics in rural Bangladesh. At the end of an initial period, they will try to see if these social business model can be replicated in other countries, addressing the needs of the 4 billion people around the world whose income is less than US$ 3 a day.

During the next year, the partnership will focus on the following areas:

• Primary health promotion and disease prevention, the most cost effective steps in affordable health care

• Evaluate product, training, workflow, and other capabilities that would be needed for full deployment of ultrasound capability in rural areas

• Developing continuous training programs for nurses, technicians and physicians in the usage of ultrasound

• Reviewing operating efficiencies and scope of services (e.g., telemedicine, mobile health care) at Grameen's rural clinics.