PONDICHERRY -- India's Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said that the country's Organ Transplant Act would be modified to bridge the gap between the requirement and availability of human body organs.

Inaugurating the three-day 54th Tamil Nadu Opthalmic Association conference organised by Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Education and Research, he said that at present 25,000 eye donations were made every year, while the requirement was many times that number.

He said the government intended to promote more eye banks by providing adequate funds for infrastructure.

To train young opthalmologists, the government has decided to introduce a refresher programme by investing Rs.45,000 per trainee, he said and added that childhood blindness was a challenging area, besides chronic and communicable diseases.

The minister said proper awareness should be created among the people on prevention of blindness. Ninety per cent of blindness could be prevented through awareness among students. Specialists would be encouraged to take their services to rural areas and concentrate on diabetic retinopathy.

Medical tourism in India was developing fast. Unlike in the past, when patients from India used to go abroad for treatment, now several patients from abroad were coming here.

Anbumani said India was on the path of achieving Vision 2020, envisaged by the World Health Organisation, by taking up several health programmes including that on blindness control.

He said during the last one year, five million cataract surgeries were conducted in the country. (Agencies).