Visual healing: Eye bank open in Rawalpindi

The Al Shifa Trust inaugurated the country’s first eye bank in Rawalpindi on Wednesday, Express News reported. “We have joined hands to bring the citizens an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) to collect corneal donations within the country,” Al Shifa Trust Head General (retd) Hamid Javed, said while speaking on the occasion.

“The facilities are top notch here and up to international standards,” he said, adding, “With the latest equipment the doctors will be able to safely retrieve and store corneas for transplants and conduct research.”

Javed went on to say that over 80 eye transplant operations take place at the hospital every month. “The eye bank will serve as a catalyst for more transplants in the country as well.”

Four facilities have allowed corneal transplant operations. On June 12, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) medial transplant regulator cleared four ophthalmology departments to conduct corneal transplants in the province. This decision was taken in a meeting of the K-P Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority (MTRA) in Peshawar.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 3^rd, 2018.