Slashdot Mirror
Eye Transplant Enables Blind Boy to See
Chris Gondek points to this story carried by the Sydney Morning Herald, excerpting: "A one-year-old Pakistani boy saw the world for the first time yesterday through an eye donated by an Indian. Mohammed Ahmed gained partial vision after a difficult operation at the Agarwal Eye Institute in the southern city of Madras. Doctors said Ahmed, who was born blind, would get near-normal sight by the time he heads back to Karachi next week."
It is of note because the donor is from India, and the child is Pakistani. The two countries do not have a history of friendly relations. However, if you read the article, you'll notice the last paragraph says:
"Last year, a life-saving heart surgery was performed on two-year-old Pakistani girl Noor Fathima at a hospital in Bangalore, also in southern India. Since then a steady stream of Pakistani children has flocked to India seeking treatment for variety of ailments."
It may be that the Pakistanis will become increasingly dependant on India for medical care along with other social support services. This is increasingly likely as Pakistan remains fairly backwards and impoverished while India continues to modernize and grow in wealth.
If this trend does develop, and persist, Pakistan may be forced to improve its relationship with India for the express purpose of maintaining the availability of these services for its people.