Not many eye donors in Goa

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2008-01-02
PANAJI- The authorities at the Goa Medical College said the eye bank could not be started at the apex hospital of the state because of various problems, including lack of people seeking transplant, donors of eyes and trained ophthalmic surgeon in carrying out corneal transplants.
Dr Pradeep Naik, professor and head of department of ophthalmology of GMC, said that as per the central guidelines an eye bank could be set up in district or state that has population of 25 lakh and over it but Goa did not meet that requirement as the state’s total population did not cross 15 lakh. He also said that there was no trained specialist in the field at the GMC.
Stating that the eyes of a donor have to be removed within six hours of death of the person and that they could be stored up to a week, Dr Naik said that transplant has to be done within a week. He informed that the number of people seeking corneal transplant in the state was very low.
He said that there was not much volume for those seeking corneal transplant in the state, besides the number of donors was very less as such if at all the Goan surgeons and other staff (like nurses and technicians) were trained for the purpose they would hardly have any work.
Dr V N Jindal, the dean of GMC, said that there was no problem as far as funds were concerned but the problem was to get the trained personnel for the job and get the number of cases for eye transplant to keep the trained personnel occupied.
Dr Jindal also said the Rotary Club had approached him with the proposal for donating the equipment for starting an eye bank in the GMC but after discussions with the consultants of the ophthalmology department it was decided that the idea was not feasible given various constraints.
The GMC authorities also had practical difficulties in deputing an ophthalmic surgeon to L V Prasad eye hospital at Hyderabad, where the specialised operations in corneal transplant are routinely carried out, and as such declined to accept the proposal of the Rotary Club in setting up the eye bank at GMC.