Hours before the inauguration of a centre for cornea retrieval at Nilratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital, the health department?s top brass has questioned the involvement of a private firm in the venture.

The centre, run by a private firm, is scheduled to be opened on Thursday by health minister Surjya Kanta Mishra in a formal function, where a state-sponsored Hospital Cornea Retrieval Programme will also be launched.

The health officials have questioned why the state government decided to hand over the task of retrieving corneas from willing donors to a private operator despite NRS hospital having a dedicated eye department.

?We are not to question an order but simply carry out instructions. These are policy decisions and I am not even aware of it,? said director of medical education C.R. Maity about the government decision. Maity, incidentally, is responsible for any change in policy concerning any medical teaching institution across the state.

The hospital authorities seem clearly upset at the manner in which a private institute has been given the nod and the hospital?s eye-department virtually rendered jobless. Referring to the invite for the inaugural programme, a senior doctor of the hospital said: ?It features just those from the institute and no one else. Decorum demands that government?s senior health officials who would be present at the programme be named.?

Prior to the centre?s inauguration at NRS hospital on Thursday, minister Mishra will initiate a similar project at Medical College and Hospital. A non-government organisation would counsel cornea donors at CMCH, while the task of collection would be carried out by doctors of the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology (RIO).

?There is no involvement of a private party here. We have identified a room in the hospital building where patients would be counselled and in case they are willing, the retrieval would be carried out at the RIO,? claimed A.N. Biswas, Medical College deputy superintendent.

Over the years, Bengal has performed dismally compared to other states in cornea collection. While there has not been enough requests, insiders at RIO admit there was slackness on the part of the officials to carry out a collection drive.