Hetauda, February 12

A campaign has been launched to collect eye pupils in Hetauda, Makawanpur from today.

The campaign was launched after Hetauda Community Eye Hospital with the support of Hetauda Sub-metropolitan City established an eye pupil collection centre in Hetauda.

Mayor Hari Bahadur Mahat of the sub-metropolis inaugurated the centre at a function today and lauded the tremendous contribution of the eye hospital.

Chief executive officer of Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology Dr Rita Gurung shared the hardships they had to encounter while establishing similar centres at the health facility years ago.

Ram Shrestha of Lions Club of Hetauda underscored the need to utilise social organisations for the publicity of the service.

On the occasion, speakers stressed that they had to convince people to donate their eyes after they die. Obviously, it will turn into ash after death so it is better to donate ones’ eye and help visually impaired patients. “Many patients, who had lost their eyesight due to problems in their pupil, have received eye transplants and regained their eyesight,” said ophthalmologist Malita Amatya at Hetauda Community Eye Hospital. There is high demand of eyes collected at the Eye Bank at Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology from various countries.

Meanwhile, senior administrative officer Sudhir Shrestha said they had trained a technician for eye collection and the service would be available 24 hours.