Islamabad: Former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr. Zafar Mirza, has stressed the urgent need for a national programme to support cornea transplants in Pakistan. He was speaking during a visit to the Islamabad office of Al-Mustafa Welfare Trust, where he was briefed on the organisation’s expanding work in the field of eye care. During the visit, Al-Mustafa representatives informed Dr. Mirza that the Trust is planning to establish a state-of-the-art eye hospital in Bahria Enclave, Islamabad, where land has already been acquired. The proposed facility will offer cornea transplants as well as introduce stem cell technology to restore vision — a pioneering step in Pakistan’s eye-care sector.
Welcoming the initiative, Dr. Mirza expressed his full support and said there is strong public willingness in Pakistan to donate eyes, but the country lacks an effective system to facilitate such donations.
Dr. Mirza was briefed by Rubina Khawaja, Sajjad Azhar and Syed Farrukh Zafar on Al-Mustafa Welfare Trust’s humanitarian and medical work, particularly in the field of ophthalmology. He praised the Trust’s efforts, adding that it had long been his dream to initiate major work in corneal treatment in Pakistan. However, he said government attention and resources had been diverted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A delegation from civil society also accompanied Dr. Mirza during the visit, including senior analyst Ahmad Ejaz.
