Gaza, MINA – There are more than 550 Palestinian patients in Gaza who need corneal transplants. The first corneal transplant surgery was performed in the Gaza Strip in 2013.
“We now have staff from the Ministry of Health in Gaza who are qualified to collect corneas from deceased donors who choose to donate their corneas to patients who need them,” said Dr Abd Al-Salam Al-Salam Al-Sabah, Director General of Hospitals at Gaza’s Ministry of Health, as quoted by Middle East Monitor on Monday.
Palestinian patients pay high fees for corneal transplants and are placed on a waiting list until a suitable donor is found. Often, they are forced to seek medical care abroad, at a high cost.
Traveling abroad also means they have to get past Israel’s brutal blockade of the Gaza Strip which requires complicated approvals.
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According to Dr Al-Sabah, there has recently been an awareness campaign in the Palestinian community, recommending the donation of their corneas for the benefit of others.
A series of transplant surgeries have already begun, while new medical staff are being trained on how to do them.
Among the internationally determined donor requirements are that the donor must not be over 65 years of age, have not had surgery that could damage the cornea, or have an infectious disease and not suffer from other eye problems.
The implants, Al-Sabah said, allow patients to return to their normal lives and become active members of society and the economy. (T/RE1)
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