Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 9: In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking establishment of eye-banks, Division Bench of State High Court comprising Chief Justice N Paul Vasnathkumar and Justice Tashi Rabstan today granted two weeks’ final opportunity to the State for filing status report.
In the petition, it has been submitted that the only eye-bank operating in the State was closed by the respondents in the year 1994 and no eye-bank or eye-donation center is functioning since then till date.
It was asserted that huge blind population and population having injuries in the eyes has no medical avenues in the State of J&K for which they have to go outside the State at huge expenses and times.
“The right to public health and medical care has been held to be one of the facets of the Article of the Constitution of India. The mockery of the decimal scenario of the State is glaringly manifested as first eye-bank in world was established in the year 1944 and in India it was established in the year 1944 also at Madras”, the petitioner said, adding “34589 eyes were collected and 13887 eyes transplants were performed successfully in India in the year 2008 with nil activity in the State of J&K for the past 18 years”.
The respondents have ample funds at their disposal to establish and operate at-least one eye-bank in each capital of the State as the crores of rupees of medical grant from the Government of India have been utilized up to less than 5 percent only, the PIL said.
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