Donated eyes go useless after delay in transit

Jamnagar (Gujarat), July 1 : Nine visually challenged people could have gained sight but they will now have to wait longer as nine pairs of donated eyes reached a hospital in this Gujarat town in conditions unfit for transplant allegedly due to transit delays.

A travel firm running courier business on the side delivered nine ice-cold boxes containing the eyes, sent by an NGO in Bhuj of Kutch district, at the state-run J.J. Hospital here late Tuesday evening.

The Vishwa Oswal Jain Mahajan Sanstha had collected the eyes from donors and sent the cold-storage boxes through the travel operator, who carried them free of cost in a private luxury coach from Bhuj to Jamnagar.

The bus started Tuesday morning, but instead of the average time of seven hours, it took 12 hours to reach Jamnagar, about 450 km from Ahmedabad.

Donated eyes remain preserved in cold storage for up to 12 hours, an official of the J.J. Hospital here said.

When the donated eyes were checked, they were found to be unfit for implanting as they had remained in ice boxes for more than 12 hours by then, he said.

The hospital administration has asked the bus operator to explain why the eyes could not be delivered in time, the official added.

Authorities at the Bhuj NGO could not be reached for comment.

--IANS