First-ever eye bank of Pakistan has been established at Ophthalmology Ward of Allied Hospital with the cooperation of Lyallpur Eye Trust (LET) for the preservation of Eye Corneas. The Eye Bank was inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner/Chairman Lyallpur Eye Trust Slaman Ghani here on Wednesday. Vice Chancellor Faisalabad Medical University Professor Dr Alfareed Zafar, MS Dr Khurram Altaf, Incharge Eye Ward Professor Dr Muhammad Sultan, DHO Dr Muhammad Asif Shahzad, MS DHQ Dr Abdul Rauf, Director Programs Fred Hallow Foundation Australia John Carel, Country Head Farooq Awan, Trustees of LET Kh Asim Khurshid, Farrukh Zaman, Seith Iftikhar, Haji Muhammad Ramzan, Mian Kamal Din and others were also present on the occasion.
Expressing his views on the occasion, the Deputy Commissioner said that the idea for the formation of Lyallpur Eye Trust was conceived on the motivation of eye specialist Professor Muhammad Sultan for the transplantation and retrieval of eye cornea with organized manner through the local resources by seeking the support of affluent persons of the society. He said that it was a revolutionary and significant step to establish eye bank here at Allied Hospital, which was leading in the country. He appreciated the valuable financial cooperation of the trustees and said that the transplantation of cornea was a great service of the humanity for providing eye sight to the blind.
The Deputy Commissioner said that the district administration had focused its attention on providing best health facilities to the public and various steps had been taken for the upgradation and expansion of the health institutions in the district. He informed that the dialysis facilities had been provided at Tehsil level in the district to facilitate the kidney patients near their door steps.
He expressed his commitment that the all out resources would be provided for the promotion and strengthening of cornea transplantation and retrieval facilities for the sake of the humanity. He emphasized upon raising the awareness regarding donating the cornea to the Eye Bank by the relatives of the diseased persons.
Vice Chancellor Faisalabad Medical University Professor Dr Alfareed Zafar said that the teaching hospitals were being upgraded by providing most advanced and sophisticated health facilities and medical machinery for provision of best medical cover to the patients. He said that the establishment of Eye Bank was a unique and important step for the preservation of eye corneas. He lauded the welfare services of the local industrialists and business community and said that the element of philanthropy was very prominent and eminent in Faisalabad.
He said that the department of ophthalmology would be able to transplant cornea and receive its donation from the society. He appreciated the cooperation of Lyallpur Eye Trust for enabling the eye department having facility and resources for transplantation and retrieval of the corneas. Head of Ophthalmology Department Allied Hospital Professor Dr Muhammad Sultan said that eye department had been upgraded in different phases for which the foreign NGO Fred Hallow Foundation Australia provided the resources.
Giving details of the services he said that the task had been completed by screening the eye sights of school children of Faisalabad district while this programme was underway in the Toba Tek Singh district. He claimed that there was no eye bank in Pakistan earlier and this was the first ever eye bank of the country.
He told that earlier eye corneas were imported from Nepal, USA, Kuwait, Sri Lanka and other countries and now all arrangements has been made for retrieving the corneas at local level and its preservations. He informed that first cornea was donated by Sajida Bibi in April 2017 which was mile stone for this department.
Professor Sultan said that transplantation and retrieval of cornea programme would be made sustainable under the arrangements of Lyallpur Eye Trust and this matchless service would be continued for providing eye sight to the blinds. He said that 10 counsellors were working to mobilize the society for providing donation of corneas for the humanity.
He said that awareness campaign was also being carried out for providing the information regarding donation and transplantation of corneas and all information were available on the website of Lyallpur Eye Trust. Later, the Deputy Commissioner and others took a round of various sections of Eye Department and visited the Eye Bank to see the method of preservation of eye corneas.