Nationwide strike: Cornea shipment delayed as KSRTC courier centre shut; timely action averts crisis

Thiruvananthapuram: A cornea transported for a scheduled eye surgery at the Government General Hospital here was delayed on Saturday after the KSRTC courier service was disrupted due to the nationwide strike, nearly jeopardising the time-sensitive transplant procedure.

The cornea had been sent from a hospital in Angamaly for a surgery planned in Thiruvananthapuram. However, when hospital staff reached the KSRTC courier centre around 8 am to collect the organ, they found it closed. Employees on duty had reportedly been forced to leave the premises by strike supporters.

With the transplant scheduled to take place before 10 am, every passing minute heightened concern, as prolonged delay could have compromised the viability and quality of the donated tissue.

On being alerted, officials, including the Circle Inspector from Museum Police Station and the Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of the General Hospital, intervened promptly. With assistance from other KSRTC personnel, attempts were made to contact the courier staff by phone. Eventually, the employees who had returned home were brought back, and the centre was reopened under police protection.

Thanks to the swift and coordinated intervention, the cornea was finally handed over and transported to the hospital in time for the surgery. Medical sources indicated that any further delay could have led to serious consequences affecting the quality of the organ.

The procedure was planned as a continuation of the first successful corneal transplant performed at the Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital two weeks ago — a landmark achievement, as it marked the first such successful surgery in a district hospital.