The Pakistan Eye Bank Society (PEBS), in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Heidelberg Schloss, launched a ‘School Eye Clinic’ project on 27-May-2025 to screen as many as 60,000 schoolchildren.
German Consul General in Karachi Dr Rudiger Lotz inaugurated the project at the PEBS Hospital in North Karachi. Sri Lankan Consul General in Karachi Jagath Abeywarna also attended the inaugural ceremony.
In his welcome address, Qazi Sajid Ali, president of the PEBS, recalled: “We started in 1968 with the idea of acquiring corneas. Our first donations came from Sri Lanka. In those early days, we received only two to three eyes in a quarter, sometimes just a few in six months or even in a year.”
He said the Sri Lankan Consulate General and the PEBS had organised an event, where a delegation from the Sri Lanka Eye Bank Society brought with them 10 corneas, marking the 25,000th eye received in Pakistan from Sri Lanka. “Of the 25,000 corneas donated by Sri Lanka, PEBS has been the largest recipient, having received and transplanted 16,000 corneas.” He lauded the role of philanthropists in helping establish and run the hospital, as well as expanding its services to include more specialties for underprivileged strata of society.
Giving an overview of the School Eye Clinic project, Dr Qazi Wasiq, medical director at the PEBS, said the Society and Rotary Club Heidelberg Schloss had joined hands to screen 60,000 students in one year with a programme to train teachers to detect eye defects and other health issues among students.
He said school managements were unable to provide eye and health checkups due to financial constraints. He added that basic health coverage was largely unavailable, especially in rural areas, where 60 percent of the population resides. He said teachers also lacked training to detect health issues among students.
Speaking at the event, the German consul general said: “There is always that official level of bilateral relations, governmental, cultural, business, and so on. But besides that, there are private people and initiatives that bring people together to help and support one another. That is often far more important and no matter what you do at the official level, without this personal connection, it is hard to truly bring two nations closer.”
He said he had been in Pakistan for three years now and had always been impressed by the charitable work being done here. “Of course, I believe the government is trying its best in sectors like health and education, but the resources are often limited for reasons we all understand,” he added.
“Without the positive influence of charitable organisations, the health sector in Pakistan wouldn’t be what it is today. While it may still be far from where it needs to be to serve everyone, charity plays a crucial role.”
Dr Lotz lauded the Heidelberg Schloss Rotary Club for supporting the project and commended the PEBS for its outstanding work. Dr Tilman Krauch, president of the Rotary Club of Heidelberg-Schloss, also addressed the participants through video link.
Published in News Daily on 28-May-2025.
