COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH), surpassing private hospitals, has earned the top spot in the harvesting of eyes. As many as 60 eyes have been harvested from 30 patients so far this year. Last year, eyes were harvested from 54 patients.
This is a big achievement, said CMCH Dean Dr A Edwin Joe. Even private hospitals which boast of doing well in organ donation could not achieve it, he added.
However, he admitted that this was nowhere near 100 per cent eye donation, though the CMCH has been working to achieve it. Every year, 5,500-6,000 patients die at the CMCH, but eyes from less than 100 people are donated.
“Eye donation started at CMCH only two years ago. During this time, we have been able to persuade relatives of many people to donate their organs. While organs like heart and kidney can be taken only from a brain-dead patient, eyes and skin can be harvested even after a patient’s death. But considering the number of deaths at the CMCH, the potential for eye donation is high,” said Dr Edwin Joe.
However, there is a lack of awareness among the public about the significance of organ donation, he said.
“Many organisations have been doing their best to make people aware of organ donation. But it is not enough. We need to create more awareness among the public. Only then can we reach 100 percent eye donation,” he added.
The CMCH has a full-fledged eye bank, which can store hundreds of eyes at a time without any compromise on standards. It is now planning to open an organ transplantation centre. This too is expected to encourage organ donation.
Dr Edwin Joe has requested the government to post grief counsellors at the hospital to persuade the family of the diseased to donate the organs. “If we have grief counsellors, we will be able to get more donors,” he said.
The CMCH has launched a helpline on eye donation. Anyone willing to donate the eyes of their dead relatives can call 0422-2301393, 391, 392, 394, 395 or 396.