Punjab on Sunday launched a Statewide novel campaign to motivate people in general and vehicle drivers in particular to pledge their eyes and other body parts to benefit lakhs of visually impaired people of the country and other patients in dire need of transplantation of various body parts.
“Lakhs of people in our country suffer from corneal blindness every year and voluntary eye donation would enable these visually impaired people to get vision if enough corneas are available for transplantation,” said the state Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Vini Mahajan.
She said that the biggest area of concern in this regard is finding donors as there is not much awareness about organ or eye donation in general population.
This can be taken care of to a large extent by asking applicants of driving licenses to pledge their eyesight the time of application, she said.
Giving the background, Mahajan said that this was already being done by Tamil nadu Transport Department. “Every aspirant for a driver's license gets a form for eye donation along with the application form for driving license in Tamil Nadu. Based on the choice of applicant, his donor status is mentioned on the form and in case of accidental death or natural death, his or her eyes can be donated to a needy patient,” she said.
Mahajan said that on request of the state Department of Health and Family Welfare, and the State Transport Commissioner, Political Advisor to Chief Minister Tikshan Sood has issued a circular to all districts.
Punjab Transport Minister Ajit Singh Kohar has also issued required guidelines in this regard to all the district level transport officers to initiate the process of getting a Proforma for pledging organs or eye donation filled from applicants for driving licenses for making it a mass movement.
“An on-line Performa for organ or eye donation is available on our website — www.pbhealth.gov.in. Anyone pledging organs or eyes gets a hard copy of donor card by post.”
“The same Proforma will be given to the applicant of driving license as a hard copy at the time of application. The name and location of nearest eye bank is available by calling toll free no-104. This will go a long way in encouraging organ or eye donation in the state of Punjab,” she said.
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