President to open eye bank

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will open the first ever eye bank in Sr Lanka today at the National Eye Hospital, Colombo. The bank will cater to the whole world especially to the Asian countries, Health Ministry Additional Secretary Dr Palitha Maheepala said.

Addressing a press briefing at the National Eye Hospital Auditorium, Colombo yesterday Dr Maheepala said the eye bank is a donation from Singapore following a request made by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in March last year.

The project cost Rs. 30 million. Another US $ five million will be provided by Singapore to carry out a five year program in the newly built eye bank. The MoU in connection with the funding was signed between the two countries.

According to Dr Maheepala, the eye bank will provide high quality corneas to Sri Lankans who need cornea transplant and patients from other countries, especially for patients in Asian countries.

The corneas come to the eye bank through the patients who die at the National Hospital, Colombo. The nearest relation of the dead person can donate the eyes of the dead person to this bank within 6 hours. Corneas can be stored for a period of 14 days in a container imported from Singapore.

The bank send corneas to other hospitals on request. The project to set up the bank was commenced in November 2010.

The MoU was signed in August 2010.

The Singapore National Eye Centre Director, Prof Donald Tan said Sri Lanka provided six corneas to Singapore in 1964 making the first international eye donation and after 47 years an eye bank was opened in Sri Lanka with Singapore's assistance.

Sri Lankans are internationally famous for humanitarian eye donations. Ten million people suffer from cornea diseases in the world and there are no adequate corneas to treat them. The eye bank set up in Sri Lanka will help patients from all over the world.

Tan pointed out that The National Eye Bank in Sri Lanka is the best in Asia and it will be the top in the world in time to come. Singapore National Eye Centre, Lee Foundation and other donors funded the project.

The ties between Sri Lanka and Singapore will be further strengthened through future exchange programs and training programs.

Tan thanked President Rajapaksa, Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena and all others involved in the project.