STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking establishment of eye-bank, a Division Bench of State High Court comprising Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Janak Raj Kotwal after hearing, directed that state to file status report regarding follow up action taken for establishment of eye bank.
In the PIL it has been submitted that the only eye-bank operating the state was closed by the respondents in 1994 and no eye-bank or eye-donation center is functioning till date in the State. It was asserted that blind population and persons with eye injuries has no medical avenue and for which they have to go outside the state of J&K incurring huge expenses. The right to public health and medical care has been held to be one of the facets of the Article of the Constitution of India.
The respondents has ample funds at their disposal to establish and operate at-least one eye-bank in each capital of the state as the crores of rupees of medical grant from the Government of India has been utilized up to less than 5 per cent only and prayer for issuance of directions to the state of J&K and its functionaries to establish at-least one eye camp in the city of Jammu and Srinagar.
DB observed that status report filed on 8th August, 2016 by the Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, J and K, wherein it is stated that the respondent has now released the remaining entire amount of Rs. 89.70 lakh on 4th August, 2016 for setting up of Eye Bank at GMC, Jammu. This excludes the cost of procurement of ambulance for Eye Bank, which is being separately procured and provided to the Eye Bank by the Department. The total release thus made for setting up of Eye Bank at GMC, Jammu during the financial year 2016-17 is Rs. 130.95 lakh, which is the entire remaining fund requirement for the purpose.
