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Implementation of a cornea donor and transplant Health Center at the Maria Auxiliadora Hospital
Community needs:
Blindness, originated by corneal scars and opacities, is potentially treatable by a cornea transplant. It is necessary to obtain corneas from cadaveric donations, and they must comply with standards that guarantee adequate tissue for the transplant.
Currently, the Ministry of Health (MINSA) is the state institution responsible for regulating donations and transplants in the country. The María Auxiliadora Hospital, located in the Southern Cone of the city, is one of its main care centers and serves approximately 2 million people located in its area. Approximately 350,000 patients are attended annually in all its specialties. The ophthalmology service is one of those with high demand, with about 27,000 cases per year.
Rotary Club la Molina has a lot of experience in implementing different projects and working together with R.C. Los Heraldos de Lima Sur they work to achieve the implementation of this project.
https://www.flipsnack.com/aurorarotary/rotary-club-la-molina-2019.html
¿How was this need assessed? (Refer to Community involvement to assess the need, surveys, publications, etc.)
Through visits and conversations with Dr. Leonel Giovanni Rojas Crispín, the Ophthalmologist in charge of the Eye Bank at the Maria Auxiliadora Hospital, Rotarians were able to learn about the existing problems that patients who need corneal transplants face.
To date, patients in need of a cornea transplant are being referred to the INO (National Institute of Ophthalmology) so that they can be put on the waiting list for a cornea transplant. There are approximately 6000 patients and only 250 to 300 transplants are carried out annually.
At the María Auxiliadora Hospital, we calculate an approximate of 4 transplants monthly, with a possibility of 4 to 6 corneas donations per month. These donations must comply with specular microscopy studies to be valid for transplanting to a patient on the waiting list.
¿Planned Activities to address the Need and how the will be sustained long term?
Every tissue or organ to be transplanted must comply with rigorous studies that guarantee its optimal functioning in the patient receiving the transplant. In the case of corneal tissue, a special study on the count and health of corneal endothelial cells is required.
To achieve this goal it is essential to have a Biometric equipment, such as a Specular Microscope, for the Eye Bank. This equipment will be able to document, through reports and photographs, the health status of these cells prior to making a decision on the viability of the tissue for transplantation.
The hospital has planned to raise the quality standards of the donated corneas so that the surgeries are guaranteed to provide optimal and safe transplants for those who need to recover their vision.
The sustainability of the project is assured because the María Auxiliadora Hospital has the appropriate personnel and the necessary budget for the maintenance of the equipment.
¿Which Area of Focus do you see the above fits into clearly
Disease prevention and treatment
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