Make eye donation mandatory, says KJ Alphons

New Delhi: Tourism minister K.J. Alphons on Tuesday called on the government to consider bringing in a legislation to make eye donation mandatory after death. He said that there was a need to look at the Sri Lankan law that made it necessary under law for eyes to be donated after death as this could help India in improving the paltry eye donation figure of just 25,000.

“There is definitely a need to consider bringing in a law making eye donations mandatory after proper consultations with all stakeholders,” Mr Alphons added.

The minister pointed out that after Sri Lanka brought in the law, it had helped the small nation to ensure eyes to its visually impaired nationals and of 57 other nations.

“Though about 85 lakh people die in our country, only about 25,000 people come forward to donate eyes. We need to improve consciousness regarding eye donation and pledge eyes after our death,” he said. The minister said that he would speak to the ministry of health to discuss the issue.

The largest eye donation campaign in the world will be conducted on October 12, World Sight Day, in the form of Blind Walk being organised across 250 locations in the country. In Delhi, it will be organised on October 12 at 3 pm from Pallika Bazaar to Connaught Place. About 600 people are expected to participate in the walk that would be led by visually impaired people.

The objective of the walk is to motivate people to donate their eyes, the minister said.

Twenty per cent of the 15 million visually impaired people in India could see through a corneal implant.