Photo: Collected
Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, the world's only fully-accredited ophthalmic teaching and surgical hospital onboard an aircraft, arrived in Chattogram in Bangladesh for the 11th time to conduct training on ophthalmology.
The MD-10 aircraft housing the Flying Eye Hospital (FEH) landed at Chattogram Shah Amanat International Airport around 12:20 pm on Thursday, said a press release.
Orbis International's country director Dr. Munir Ahmed, director of Shah Amanat International Airport group captain Shaikh Abdullah Alamgir and Professor Dr. Munirujzaman Osmani of Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex (CEITC) welcomed the crew at the airport.
It is the 11th Flying Eye Hospital Training Program in Bangladesh with the first one taking place in 1985 and the most recent one in 2017.
During the program, Orbis clinical staff and volunteer faculty will provide hands-on surgical and patient care training to eye care professionals in Bangladesh from November 17 to 28. Simulation training and ophthalmic workshops will also be conducted during the period.
Through the training, Orbis International, an international nonprofit delivering sight-saving programs in over 200 countries and territories worldwide so that individuals, families, and communities can thrive, aims to build the skills of local eye care teams to raise the standard of eye care and create awareness about eye health in Bangladesh.
The program is taking place at the invitation of the Bangladesh Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, with sponsorship from the Alcon Foundation and FedEx, and additional support from Alcon Cares, the Ophthalmological Society of Bangladesh (OSB), Bangladesh College of Physicians & Surgeons (BCPS), and government’s National Eye Care (NEC).
The training activities will take place on the Flying Eye Hospital, kept landed at Shah Amanat International Airport, and at Orbis’s partner hospital Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex (CEITC).
The program focuses on the ophthalmic subspecialties of cataracts, oculoplastics, surgical retina, pediatric glaucoma, and cornea, as well as anesthesiology, nursing, and biomedical engineering.
Dr Munir Ahmed said, “We are honored to bring the Flying Eye Hospital back to Bangladesh in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and CEITC. Our long-term partnerships are critical to increasing access to quality eye care in Bangladesh.”
Messenger/SK/EHM
