Jamshedpur: The panel discussion amongst school students on eye donation still a victim of social stigma held today at Motilal Nehru Public School attracted participants from 20 schools. The teams comprising two students each observed that eye donation is a noble gesture and every one should rise above social stigma which mainly revolves around superstition, religion and taboo.
The society and the students today are quite mature and intelligence enough to give credential to such belief. Superstition and taboo form a negative approach which discourages every positive attitude and resists change. All religions talk about helping others, making charity and giving love and care to others. Eye donation is helping humanity beyond mankind and should be done with pride and honour.
Eye Bank Association of India, National Executive Member and Hon. Secretary, Roshni Rajnish Kumar, provided three situations to the panelist students and audience and were asked to react to it which Roshni members often faces while discharging their voluntary services towards Eye Donation.
First many people want to join Roshni, but soon they carry out the campaign with their vested interests. Should this tendency be encouraged? Secondly, it being a materialistic world, most of the people expect some sort of financial benefit or incentive to take it forward. Is money the only motivating factor today to do social service activities like eye donation? Thirdly, the identity of recipients should be disclosed to the donor’s family whose cornea has been transplanted. Should the law be changed to disclose the identity?
Encouraged by the positive response from the students to make the eye donation campaign popular, Roshni Jamshedpur announced that any students who will help in ensuring eye donation within a month or so (till October end) will be given an incentive of Rs 1000 with due recognition at important platforms.
This is not a monetary incentive but purpose behind this is to make the students feel the tragic and sentimental moment in the family when any death takes place and rise above from the situation and counsel people to come forward for eye donation.