Nearly 1,000 people waiting for corneal transplants

The launching ceremony of the Tissue Bank for Donated Corneas and the Association for Mobilizing Donated Tissues and Human Organs was held by Hanoi Eye Hospital 2 (Hanoi) today, June 13. This is an activity in response to the call of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the launching ceremony of "Registering to donate tissues and organs - giving is forever" organized by the Ministry of Health last May.

Hanoi Eye Hospital 2 receives donated corneas and establishes an association to promote tissue and organ donation.

At the launching ceremony of the Tissue Bank and the Association for Donating Tissues and Human Organs, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan shared that there are thousands of patients nationwide waiting for the opportunity to see the light again, including many children. Donating corneas brings light and hope to those who have unfortunately lost their sight.

According to Mr. Thuan, the ophthalmology department currently has 10 units with tissue and cornea banks nationwide. The Ministry of Health is committed to continuing to support and create the most favorable conditions for the mobilization of tissue, organ and cornea donation.

"With the joint efforts of the whole society, the ophthalmology industry will have more and more people willing to donate tissues, organs, and corneas, contributing to saving the lives of thousands of patients and bringing hope to patients waiting," Mr. Thuan believes.

On this occasion, the Deputy Minister of Health called on people to register to donate organs, tissues and corneas upon death.

Attending the ceremony, highly appreciating the fact that Hanoi Eye Hospital 2 has built and developed corneal transplant techniques, Associate Professor - Dr. Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, President of the Vietnam Association for Organ and Tissue Donation, said that corneal transplant surgery in our country has reached an advanced level, but the number of corneal donations is only very small compared to the demand for corneal transplants.

According to Ms. Kim Tien, at the Central Eye Hospital, the list of people waiting for corneal transplants is nearly 1,000 people, and this number is increasing. Therefore, the launch of the Tissue Bank and the Association for Mobilizing Human Tissue and Body Parts Donation by Hanoi Eye Hospital 2 contributes to increasing the number of donated corneas, saving people with corneal diseases, and helping many people find light.

According to the Ministry of Health, over the past 16 years, more than 45,000 people nationwide have registered to donate their corneas, of which 963 have donated their corneas after death. Thanks to this source of donated corneas, many people have received corneal transplants and returned to normal life. The ophthalmology industry estimates that there are currently nearly 1 million blind people, of which more than 300,000 are in need of corneal transplants.

Previously, in 2005, in Hanoi, the Central Eye Hospital (Ministry of Health) established an Eye Bank, collecting, preserving and distributing corneas from donors. This is the source of corneas that doctors use to perform surgery on patients with corneal diseases requiring corneal transplants.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/gan-1000-nguoi-cho-ghep-giac-mac-185240613164941432.htm