Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne inspecting eye lenses at the Sri Lanka Eye Bank in Colombo.
The Health Ministry has received information about an eye lens racket, where an eye lens imported from India for Rs. 6,000 is sold in Sri Lanka for Rs. 25,000, Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said.
According to Dr. Senaratne, it has also been revealed that some doctors receive money from the companies which sell eye lenses when they prescribe these particular lenses to patients.“We will put a stop to these rackets.
So far the Health Department grants Rs.200,000 to the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society. This amount will be increased up to Rs.one million,” the minister said. Minister Dr. Senaratne pointed out that the services of the Sri Lanka Eye Bank in Colombo established in January in 2011 with the support of Singapore have now been extended to the Kandy and Kurunegala Teaching Hospitals.
The bank has received 6,670 eyes from donors since its inception.“The Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society provides eye corneas etc. free of charge to Sri Lankan eye patients. A circular will be issued to state hospitals to assist the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society in obtaining eye corneas from patients,” he added.
