25% eye donations are from TN: Ma Subramanian
The minister also awarded mementoes to doctors and their teams who strived towards receiving eye donations and enabled many people to regain their vision.
Tamil Nadu's Health Minister Ma Subramanian (X/@Subramanian_ma)
CHENNAI: Health minister Ma Subramanian said Tamil Nadu contributes 25 per cent of eye donations nationwide while participating in the 39th Eye Donation Fortnight Festival at the Egmore Government Eye Hospital on Thursday and honoured the families of eye donors.
The minister also awarded mementoes to doctors and their teams who strived towards receiving eye donations and enabled many people to regain their vision. He also greeted the recipients of the eyes at the hospital.
Advanced medical equipment for special eye treatment sections, like corneal transplantation, and retinal and glaucoma treatments, were commissioned for the hospital at Rs 8 crore.
The health minister noted that the state received 5,422 eye donations in 2021-22, 8,274 in 2022-23 and 9,400 in 2023-24. He added that Tamil Nadu contributes 25 per cent of eye donations nationwide.
"In the last eight months, 208 eyes were donated, and 118 were used. Through organ donors, 42 eyes were received at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai, and 39 have been used," he said.
The state health department is in the process of establishing new eye hospitals across the state with different departments.
"In the last three years, 4,87,469 children have been provided spectacles through Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK). Additionally, 1,25,634 optic surgeries have been successfully completed in the last three years," said the minister.
He stated that 249 people had donated organs after it was announced on September 23, 2023, that organ donors would be accorded State honours and confirmed that the officials are attending the last rites of the donor to pay their respects since eye donations are being done on a large scale in Tamil Nadu.
