The Sri Lankan High Commission in Pakistan, on Wednesday (20), donated 26,000 human eye corneas to the Pakistan Military to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Sri Lanka Army.Sri Lanka, renowned for its longstanding tradition of eye donation, has contributed over 93,000 corneas worldwide. This remarkable initiative, which had been temporarily paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has now resumed. The donated corneas, provided by deceased Sri Lankan donors, will aid in restoring vision to Pakistani military personnel affected by terrorist incidents, as well as to other patients in need, exemplifying the strong humanitarian bond between the two nations.
The handover ceremony, organised by the Defence Wing of the Sri Lankan High Commission in Islamabad, in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society, took place at the Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology (AFIO) in Rawalpindi.
The corneas were officially presented by Admiral Ravindra C. Wijegunaratne (Retd), Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, alongside Brigadier Kaminda Silva, Defence Advisor, and representatives of the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society. The recipients included Lieutenant General Arshad Nasim HI(M), Surgeon General of the Armed Forces of Pakistan, and Brigadier (Dr.) Waquar Muzaffer, Commandant of AFIO.
Admiral Wijegunaratne highlighted the historical significance of Sri Lanka’s eye donation programme, tracing its origins to Dr Hudson Silva, the founder of the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society.
In response, Lieutenant General Nasim expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Government of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Military, and the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society for this generous contribution. He emphasised the transformative impact of this initiative on restoring vision and reaffirmed the deep ties of friendship and cooperation between the two nations.
from The Island https://ift.tt/pfAznc5
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