Colombo, June 20 - Sri Lanka resumed donation of eye corneas to Pakistan. It was stopped following the Covid-19 pandemic, an official said.
The latest donation of five corneas were dispatched on a SriLankan Airlines flight to Lahore yesterday night and were received by a team of Pakistani army medical personnel for surgeries to be performed at the army hospital in Rawalpindi, according to Sri Lankan High Commissioner Admiral (Retired) Ravindra C. Wijegunaratne. He is also expected to witness the surgeries.
Sri Lanka has donated more than 88,000 eye corneas to the world and more than 36,000 of them to Pakistan.
“This is a new chapter and new beginning in this noble project to bring people to people contacts between two brotherly countries who were steadfast friends during the tests of time.
These eye corneas will be implanted to needy patients by Pakistan Military Eye Surgeons.
More than 300 patients are reportedly awaiting eye corneas in hospitals around Lahore,” the High Commissioner said.
The donation was coordinated by Idris Admani, the President of the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Friendship Association.