Call for state-supported cornea donation drive

The Al-Shifa Trust (AST) advocated a state-backed cornea donation campaign to decrease reliance on imports because over 300,000 individuals are currently on transplant waiting lists. It said that if we have enough local donations, those awaiting transplants could be reintegrated as productive members of society.

Talking to the media on Thursday, AST President Maj-Gen (retd) Rehmat Khan said that bridging the imbalance requires an awareness campaign, enabling local donations to assist needy individuals in becoming productive citizens.

A limited supply of corneal tissue can be attributed to several factors, including insufficient awareness, reluctance to donate, and demographic and systemic influences such as age, gender, education, cultural considerations, and the availability of surgeons and operating facilities, said Khan.

He added that the global demand and supply situation is also unfavourable.