Umang, a leading NGO working for the welfare of differently abled persons, has rued "apathy" of the state government in strengthening eye banking system.
It claimed that over 3,500 corneal blind persons in the state would have to wait for 200 years to get their vision if the present "indifferent" attitude of the health authorities continued.
"There is a dim hope for over 3,500 corneal blind persons in Himachal Pradesh to get their sight restored due to lack of vision on the part of the state health authorities as the eye banking system has failed to come up to the expectations of blind people, even though it was opened at IGMC, Shimla in 2010," President of Umang Foundation Ajay Srivastava said.
Also Read
Taking up the cause of blinds on the eve of National Eye Donation Fortnight beginning Monday, Srivastava said, "the eye bank in Shimla could collect only 72 corneas donated by 36 persons. Out of the available corneas, 59 were transplanted and 13 had to be discarded due to poor quality."
The foundation urged the government to start eye bank in Tanda Medical College and eye collection centres in all the districts immediately. "At present, the rich go to other states for cornea transplant that costs more than Rs 1 lakh and the poor are forced to live in dark," he said.
He said the foundation would consider moving the court if the government does not intervene at the earliest.
