Amritsar, July 20
Legal complications and a complex state policy on corneal transplantation stands in the way of bringing light into the lives of the visually challenged in Punjab.
Most eye hospitals in the state do not have permission to conduct corneal transplantation. As a result, eye banks in these hospitals must send pledged eyes to hospitals in neighbour states within six hours of cornea removal.
Talking to HT, Dr V.P.Lakhanpal, Secretary, Rotary Eye Bank at Dr Daljit Singh Eye Hospital, said, “We had started an eye bank here in 2002 with the noble objective of corneal transplantation for the visually impaired. So far, more than 8,000 persons have pledged their eyes.”
But, in the absence of permission from the state government to conduct corneal transplantation here, they have to send the donated cornea to a hospital in Ambala, he added. Lakhanpal said that despite fulfilling all registration requirements for conduct of corneal transplantation, authorities have denied permission.
There is legal ambiguity over corneal transplantation.
Dr J.S. Thind from Thind Eye Hospital, Jalandhar said,
“There is great legal ambiguity over corneal transplantation. Eye surgeons are not sure of the legal consequences of cornea transplantation done with the permission of deceased’s relatives.”
So, for fear of being harassed by the police under some ambiguous laws, most eye surgeons have stopped conducting corneal transplantation, he said.
Besides, registration requirements for an eye hospital to register in the state under the Human Organ Transplantation Act (HOTA) are cumbersome. “Cornea should not be included under HOTA, as it is removed from the body of the deceased with the permission of relatives,” said Thind.
Ophthalmologist Dr Ravijit Singh of Daljit Singh Eye Hospital said, “We used to transplant cornea at our hospital a few years back, but there are legal complications. I feel the registration procedure should be made smoother and hassle free for sake of the visually challenged.”
He was of the view that already, there are not many eye donors in the state. So, the donated cornea should be utilized effectively and in time.
SOURCE-HT
