Punjab to set up 3 eye banks in the State

Chandigarh : The Medical Research and Education Department has decided to set up three eye donation banks in the state. Keeping in view the Human Organs Transplant Act, the department has decided to set up these banks at the local Government Rajindra Hospital, the Government Medical College Amritsar and the Government Medical College, Faridkot. Sources said final touches had already been given to the proposal and a final nod may come anytime.

A team from the Medical Research and Education Department from Chandigarh has already visited the Rajindra Hospital to chalk out the modalities and remove bottlenecks for setting up the bank at Rajindra Hospital, Patiala.

In addition to this, the government has also planned to set up 75 eye donation centres at the subdivision level in the state. Sources disclosed that each of these banks would have 25 eye donations centres directly under its jurisdiction.

To make sure that the eye donors did not suffer much, the government was making it mandatory to open such donation centres at civil hospitals at the subdivisional level. However, transplants can only take place at any of the three eye donation centres at Patiala, Jalandhar and Faridkot, respectively.

This decision of the government to open eye donation banks comes at the right time, reveal sources, as earlier according to the provision of the human organ transplant act, there was not even a single eye donation bank in the entire state.

Sources say that earlier there were some private eye banks doing roaring business but when the controversial issue of smuggling of eyes in the Pingla Ashram came to light at Sanaur, near Patiala, the government took the decision to open banks of its own.