First Vietnamese private hospital launches tissue bank
Hanoi Eye Hospital 2 on June 13 became the first private hospital in Vietnam to launch a tissue bank and establish a branch for promoting human tissue and organ donation.
The move is in response to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s appeal at a ceremony to launch the organ and tissue donation campaign on May 19.
Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan stated that cornea donation is a noble act, bringing light and hope to those who unfortunately lost their sight.
The Ministry of Health will continue supporting and creating the most favourable conditions for tissue, organ and cornea donation, he added.
Associate Professor, Dr. Hoang Thi Minh Chau, Director of the hospital, said that according to incomplete statistics, since 2017, the country has had more than 300,000 people blind due to corneal diseases, of whom half are blind in both eyes. In Vietnam, corneal transplant surgery was performed for the first time in 1950, but the number remains modest due to the resources.
At the event, Thuan called on people to participate in cornea donation.
Since the first cornea donation in April 2007, the country has recorded 963 cornea donors, mainly in Ninh Binh province (437), and Nam Dinh (332). To date, more than 20 provinces and cities have had people donate corneas after death.
