TN Governor pledges eyes to boy and girl
Chennai, Sep 4 (UNI) Setting a personal example,Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala has pledged to donate his eyes to a boy and a girl.
Mr Barnala yesterday signed the forms pledging his eyes to the IMA-Chennai Eye Bank and wished his eyes should be given to a boy and a girl.
The occasion was the inauguration of the IMA-Chennai Eye Bank at the Durbar Hall of Raj Bhavan.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Barnala said a mass movement on donation of eyes should be kick-started by chalking out plans to make eye donation a family tradition and social responsibility.
''The need of the hour is to start a crusade against corneal blindenss. Increase in awareness on eye donation, augmentation of eye collection by retrieving eyes from hospitals, trauma care units and donation of eyes by individuals are the pre-requisites for restoring sight to the blind,'' he added.
Observing there was high potential for eye donation in the country, Mr Barnala said around one crore deaths occurred every year, but hardly 22,000 cornea were donated.
''More and more people should come forward to donate their eyes,'' he said and urged voluntary organisations, eye hospitals, Lions and Rotary organisations to start a campaign on eye donation by concentrating on potential donors who were above 50 years of age.
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