Goa Medical College seeks licence for corneal transplant facility

Goa: The Department of Ophthalmology at Goa Medical College (GMC) has applied for a licence to be registered as a corneal transplant centre. The development was announced in the Goa Legislative Assembly by Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, who said the state government is working with the department to establish a new eye bank.

The minister stated that the government is collaborating with GMC’s ophthalmology team to operationalise the facility and improve access to corneal tissue for transplant procedures. As part of this initiative, Goa Medical College has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Lions International Eye Bank, Bengaluru, to ensure a steady supply of corneal tissues for patients requiring transplantation. 

According to a report by The Times of India, the move is expected to address a long-standing gap in eye donation and transplantation infrastructure in the state, particularly for ophthalmologists managing corneal blindness and patients waiting for keratoplasty.

For several years, Goa has not had a functioning eye bank. The earlier facility, the Rotary Eye Bank, lost its licence after failing to meet regulatory standards related to infrastructure and manpower.

Explaining the situation, the minister said, “The licence of Rotary Eye Bank was not renewed as it was not found to be compliant with regulations in terms of infrastructure, manpower, as per Eye Bank Association of India and NPCB guidelines.”

As a result, the state had to rely on external eye banks for corneal tissues required for transplantation.

To bridge this gap, GMC’s ophthalmology department has now formally applied for registration as a corneal transplant centre. The inspection process for the application was conducted in December 2025.

Providing further details, Rane stated, “The decision on the application will be taken after receipt of the inspection report from the committee constituted vide Order No 5/15/2025- II/PHD/2522 dated Nov 13.”

The state government has already invested in the infrastructure needed for the eye bank and transplant services. Under the National Health Mission, Rs 40 lakh was sanctioned for the project.

According to the minister, GMC has already utilised Rs 38.7 lakh for essential ophthalmic and eye bank equipment. This includes a specular microscope worth Rs 31.4 lakh, a slit lamp costing Rs 2.5 lakh, a biosafety cabinet priced at Rs 4.4 lakh, and a refrigerator costing Rs 54,900.

The remaining Rs 1.3 lakh has been earmarked for information, education, and communication (IEC) activities, along with the purchase of an additional refrigerator equipped with temperature monitoring for storing eye tissues.

While the equipment is in place, staffing for the eye bank is still underway. Recruitment and training of specialised personnel are pending. Interviews for key positions, including an eye bank technician and an eye bank counsellor, were conducted on January 8, and the results are currently awaited.

Currently, two private hospitals in the state, Healthway Hospital and ASG Eye Hospital, are already registered as corneal transplant centres. These institutions have established MoUs with eye banks in other parts of the country to procure corneal tissues for transplant surgeries.