A solution to this gap between demand and supply could be a Hospital Cornea Retrieval Programme (HCRP), the subject of discussion at a seminar organised by Eye Bank Association of India (EBAI), Western Zone and Indian Medical Association (IMA). The meet aimed at making the government, doctors and NGOs aware that hospital deaths are an unexploited source of corneas.

An HCRP would require hospitals and eye banks in the same area to be partners so that whenever a death takes place in a hospital, the eye bank can be informed. Grief counsellers and technicians could come over and request the relatives of the deceased to donate corneas. The management and nurses also need to have good working relationship with patients and relatives to be able to broach the sensitive issue of eye donation.

The guest of honour, Dr AlkaKarande, civic Executive Health Officer, ruled out any kind of monetary aid towards such a programme because of the massive deficit the BMC is grappling with, but promised to help the EBAI garner aid from foreign agencies.

Dr Balpande, representing the state government, said he would ensure that the money set aside by the Central Government - a one-time investment of Rs 5 lakh and Rs 500 for each eyeball - was made available to eye banks. He also promised to assist EBAI with proposed changes to the Human Organs Act, 1994. These include making requests on donations mandatory by managements and presuming consent in medico-legal cases where cornea removal does not affect a post-mortem.

Other suggestions included the framing of an appeal form by the head of the hospital in wards and waiting rooms so that the idea was bounced off those who came there, eye donation information kiosks at blood donation camps, ensuring that doctors made examples of their families by donating their corneas and introducing removalmethods as part of medical syllabi and internship.