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| It may be noble to donate eye, but GMC has no place to keep | | 365 donors listed in 12 years, no cornea transplantation since 1997 | |
SALMAN NIZAMI
JAMMU, MAY 13: Though debatable, the donation of human organs for helping other needy have always been seen highest of the noble actions. But guess what if someone has to donate an eye in Jammu?
There is no place to keep. The Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu has no facilities to store donated corneas.
The last corneal transplantations were done at the GMC, Jammu, in 1997 and 12 years on things have not improved much in the backdrop of human organ transplant act. However, a senior ophthalmologist claimed that registration process had been initiated and after getting everything in place donations and transplantations strictly in adherence to the human organ transplant act would begin.
In the past 12 years a small number of 365 people registered themselves with the eye bank at GMC, Jammu, expressing their wish to donate eyes.
The ophthalmologist admitted that GMC doesn’t have the facilities to preserve donated corneas saying, “In absence of it transplantation has to be performed within four to six hours after the death of a donor.” “But had the facility been available then donated corneas could have been stored for even a week,” he added.
Responding to a query, he said, “Till 1997 corneal transplantations had been taking place but ever since the human organ transplant act, no transplantation has been performed in the past 12 years.” Official sources said, “Stringent restrictions in the act like diagnosing a donor for various diseases, including HIV infection, have discouraged people to come forward for the noble cause.
The Act says a donor after his death has to be diagnosed for various ailments like HIV infection, hepatitis and other illnesses, for which eye department at the GMC, Jammu, doesn’t possess independent infrastructure. Further, all these tests should be conducted within four to five hours after the death of a donor.“Compared to other organ transplantations corneal transplantation is simple but legal hassles have made things difficult for ophthalmologists,” added sources.
However, with sustained campaigning under the National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB) people have started coming forward for the noble cause. The country today has 166 eye banks but ultra-modern facilities required for cornea transplantation and its preservation exist in just two to three states only.
As per a recent survey by the World Health Organisation (WHO) the world today has
40 million blind people, of which India has 15 million.
As per national statistics, only 20,000 eyes are donated annually whereas requirement is five times more at about one lakh.
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