PESHAWAR: Two public sector medical teaching institutions -- Khyber Teaching Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex -- would get recognition for cornea transplantations after inspection by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority on Friday (today).

The health department accorded recognition to Institute of Kidney Disease Hayatabad in February, making it the first health facility to start renal transplant surgery in the province. The MTRA in its third meeting held last week with Health Secretary Abid Majeed in the chair also gave recognition to Rehman Medical Institute and North West General Hospital for kidney transplantation while put on hold the decision regarding permission to KTH due to ongoing civil work there.

The meeting was informed that ophthalmology departments of the public sector health facilities including HMC, KTH and Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) and private sector Aman Hospital and RMI had sought permission for corneal transplant registration.

Regulatory authority to inspect both the hospitals today

On the recommendations of Ophthalmologists Association, the authority also approved amendments to the MTRA rules to pave way for cornea transplants in the province.

Prof Asif Malik, the administrator of MTRA, told Dawn that a consultative meeting of the ophthalmologists held on March 30 had pointed out that the existing rules mainly addressed the renal transplant cases, which needed intensive care unit, isolation rooms and other requirements while the cornea transplants did not need those facilities.

The ophthalmologists had suggested amendments to the rules and formation of a smaller corneal transplant evaluation committee. The MTRA rules are not much required in corneal transplant hospitals like 24 hours availability of staff, ICU and operation theatre. For cornea transplants, the hospitals should have eye bank with national and international linkages.

It also notified standard operating procedures according to which every transplant facility shall have transplant evaluation committee (TEC), which would be responsible for evaluation of the case of the recipient of cornea besides evaluation to decide if the person needs a corneal transplant or otherwise.

It would also take care of donation of cornea and keeping record of recipients and will intimate MTRA for every donation.

Prof Asif said that the rules had been softened to benefit the people as well as promote legal transplantation in the province. “Both KTH and HMC are likely to get recognition after our inspection. These public sector hospitals have got infrastructure for cornea transplantation,” he added.

KTH had also applied for kidney transplants to MTRA but the application was rejected due to the civil work there. “We will send inspection team to KTH, once construction work gets completed. The infrastructure there is very good,” he said.

A senior ophthalmologist said that they received cornea from abroad and transplanted free of cost to the people. He said that LRH, where about 20 transplants had taken place so far, was also ready to resume the procedures again. HMC has also started getting cornea from the donors but is waiting for the MTRA’s nod.

The local ophthalmologists have appreciated MTRA for amending the rules for cornea transplants. KTH was already carrying out transplants but stopped the same when the authority was formed. “So far, we have done 100 transplants and restored the eyesight of as many people. We use latest techniques in which the chances of rejection are minimal,” said the ophthalmologist.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2018