‘Pakistan needs cornea donation drive’

Islamabad : Al-Shifa Trust (AST) on Thursday advocated for a state-backed cornea donation campaign to decrease reliance on imports as more than 300,000 individuals were currently on transplant waiting lists.

Talking to the media, AST President Maj Gen (r) Rehmat Khan stated that bridging the imbalance requires an awareness campaign, enabling local donations to assist needy individuals in becoming productive citizens. He said those awaiting transplants could be reintegrated as productive members of society if we can have enough local donations.

Rehmat informed that the limited supply of corneal tissue could be attributed to several factors, including insufficient awareness, reluctance to donate, demographic and systemic influences such as age, gender, education, cultural considerations, and the availability of surgeons and operating facilities. Despite nearly 185,000 corneal transplants, approximately 12.7 million individuals remain on the waiting list for transplants.

He added that estimates suggest that only 1 in 70 individuals requiring a transplant have access to one. He stated that Al-Shifa Trust Hospital could conduct nearly 800 corneal transplants annually as a significant deficit between the supply and demand of corneal tissue impairs its capacity to serve more people. Gen Rehmat Khan stated that many individuals were awaiting transplants in Pakistan and a lack of inclination in local populations prompted cornea imports.

He informed that corneal tissue supply chain management could be inconsistent, mainly when certain cornea-exporting nations restrict donations to satisfy local transplant needs. Therefore, he said, it is essential to take the initiative locally to transform the lives of individuals awaiting vision restoration. The cornea was among the simplest tissues to transplant, as it does not necessitate matching between donor and recipient, adding it operates without blood, extracting oxygen directly from the atmosphere.

He informed that AST has a state-of-the-art eye bank at Rawalpindi Eye Hospital and expert doctors for collecting eye donations. Corneal grafting from an older adult to a younger recipient is a feasible procedure.