The Union Health Minister said on September 8 that there has been less than expected response towards organ donation and that a behavioural shift is needed towards this noble act in the country.

"Despite having rich knowledge and defined responsibility, there has been less than expected response towards organ donation from our citizens. We need a behavioural shift towards organ donation in the country. I urge everyone to create widespread awareness for this through a 'Jan Andolan'," he said.

The Health Minister was speaking at an event to mark the 37th National Eye Donation Fortnight at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). "In a country that is globally recognised for seeing health as 'Seva' and considering its health professionals as life savers, we can similarly create 'Seva bhav' of donating organs and make a mind shift in our countrymen towards eye and organ donation," he said.

Underscoring the importance of eye donation, he said that organ donation provides quality life to the recipient and a sense of satisfaction for the donor families. He also thanked the donor families for their noble deed of donating the corneas of their loved ones which will give the gift of vision to needy patients.

Quoting Bhagwat Gita's shloka of "karmanye vadhika raste, Ma phaleshu kadachana", he also highlighted the country's vibrant culture and traditions that teach us "Seva Bhav" and "Sahyog".

An annual report of the National Eye Bank (NEB) for the years 2021-22 was released at the event, which highlighted the crucial role played by the NEB in addressing the issue of corneal blindness in the country. More than 31,500 corneas have been collected, over 22,350 visual rehabilitation through corneal transplantation and a greater than 70 per cent utilisation rate since 1965 has been achieved so far.

The NEB has also played a crucial role in promoting eye donation activities, corneal transplantation, educating and training the medical workforce, eye banking research, motivating the general public along with several other activities.