NAIROBI, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is developing legislation to improve the availability and access to the corneal transplantation services and other organ donation and transplant services, an official said on Saturday.
Sicily Kariuki, Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Health said that a bill will soon be tabled in parliament to help provide the country with appropriate legislation to guide corneal transplant.
"We have about 75,000 people with corneal diseases, who are in need of corneal transplant services, to prevent them from going blind or to restore sight to those already blind," Kariuki said at a forum in Nairobi.
She said the legal interventions will lead to sight restoration, like corneal transplantation, cataract surgery and others translate into the remarkable improvement in the quality of life of the beneficiaries and their families.
Kariuki said the government is taking up the matter seriously since cornea infection is the third leading cause of blindness globally. The efforts are ongoing with the National Health Insurance Fund to ensure that there is inclusion of corneal transplantation in the insurance benefit package.
In the last one year alone, about 400 Kenyans have received corneal transplants across the country and about 600 individuals are on the waiting list in various health facilities.
"These numbers, however, understate the existing burden as they represent less than 1 percent of the estimated need," said Kariuki.
She lauded organizations that have advocated for corneal donation and harvesting from dead people before the disposal of the bodies.
Eye Bank Ambassadors and volunteers have mobilized and facilitated cornea donations and harvesting for over 200 corneas in the last one year.
In Kenya, eye treatment is done at public and private health facilities and the east African nation has grappled with a rise in keratoconus cases especially among the youth prompting the need to have sophisticated equipment that can give quicker and better diagnosis at initial stages.
