Corneas from Sri Lanka brighten up 10 lives

LAHORE: The Sri Lankan Pakistan Trade Association has sent 10 corneas as a gift to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, which were received by Vice Chancellor of King Edward Medical University and Institute of Ophthalmology, Mayo Hospital, Prof. Dr. Asad Aslam at Lahore airport on Saturday.

According to a handout issued here on Saturday, Prof. Asad Aslam and his team, immediately after receiving the gift, operated ten blind persons in Mayo Hospital for cornea transplantation. Prof. Asad Aslam said that it was a precious gift which enlightened the lives of 10 people.

He said that Sri Lanka was the major source of cornea donation in the world, however, three hundred dollars were spent on bringing corneas from Sri Lanka to Pakistan on logistic but it was a totally free gift from the Sri Lanka Pakistan Trade Association to Punjab chief minister. He said that in ophthalmology department of Mayo Hospital, a waiting list of blind people was prepared and as an when corneas were received these were immediately transplanted to the blind according to the waiting list. 

Conference: The South Asian Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (SAFOG) started its three-day 11th SAFOG Conference on the theme ‘Improving Women’s Health – Old Problems, New Remedies’, at a local hotel.

According to a press release issued here on Saturday, Prof Sir Sabaratnum Arulkumaran, former president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, and president-elect of the British Medical Association, hosted the plenary session on ‘South Asia’s run to improve contraceptive prevalence rate.’

Dr Syed Azizur Rab conducted a workshop on ‘Counselling and Medical Communication Skills.’

Speaking about this biennial conference, Dr Syed Azizur Rab, said, “It is an honour to be a partner of the 11th SAFOG Conference as it ensures learning and skill development of our network health providers, since their skills and motivation are crucial to serving the women in Pakistan.”

“This conference is about collaborative education and competency-based training for the care of women in South Asia,” said Prof Rubina Sohail, chairperson of the organising committee of SAFOG. “We not only aim to create a conducive learning environment for young medical practitioners, but also look to share global knowledge, while making new friends in the process.”