ISLAMABAD: Al Shifa Trust (AST) on Thursday advocated a state-sponsored cornea donation drive to reduce dependence on imports as more than 300,000 people are currently on the transplant waiting list.
Talking to the media, AST President Major General (retd) Rehmat Khan said that awareness campaign is needed to eliminate the imbalance, help the needy to become productive citizens through local donations. People awaiting transplants can be reintegrated as productive members of society if we can get enough local donations, he said.
Rahmat said the limited supply of corneal tissue can be attributed to several factors, including insufficient awareness, reluctance to donate, demographic and systemic influences such as age, gender, education, cultural considerations, and the availability and operation of surgeons. Amenities included. Despite approximately 185,000 corneal transplants, approximately 12.7 million people remain on the transplant waiting list.
He added that estimates suggest that only 1 in 70 people in need of a transplant have access to one. Al-Shifa Trust Hospital can do about 800 corneal transplants annually as a significant shortfall between supply and demand of corneal tissue affects its ability to serve more people, he said. General Rahmat Khan said many people were waiting for transplants in Pakistan and the lack of inclination among the local population led to the importation of corneas.
He noted that managing the corneal tissue supply chain can be conflicting, especially when some cornea-exporting countries restrict donations to meet local transplant needs. Therefore, he said, it is important to take local initiatives to change the lives of those waiting for vision rehabilitation. The cornea was among the easiest tissues to transplant, as it does not require a match between donor and recipient, and it works without blood, drawing oxygen directly from the atmosphere.
He said that AST has a state-of-the-art eye bank at Rawalpindi Eye Hospital and expert doctors are there to collect eye donations. Corneal grafting from an older adult to a younger recipient is a viable procedure.