With a view to introducing the country’s eye care professionals with the latest technology and modern treatment, ORBIS International landed its flagship Flying Eye Hospital in Chittagong. Now the flying hospital is in Chittagong airport to showcase the latest technological advances in eye care till December 4.

The 42-seat classroom was almost full with sight care specialists with their eyes glued to a large monitor to watch a retina surgery that was going on in the Operation Theatre (OT) two rooms behind them.

Dr Janathan Lord, Orbis International’s global medical director, was giving running commentary of his every action while conducting the critical surgery. Over the loud speaker he invited questions and gave answers to queries of those attending the classroom. This was a view in the flying eye hospital, run by ORBIS International.

Orbis is an international non-profit humanitarian organisation committed to preserving and restoring sight in the developing world through hands-on training of medical professionals and by strengthening the capacity of in-country eye care services and institutions.

With its advanced eye care techniques, the hospital during its two-week stay here is expected to train 315 eye specialists, nurses and biomedical technicians and provide surgical and laser treatments to 80 patients.

A group of journalists observed the training and skill exchange activities of the Flying Eye Hospital in an MD-10 aircraft that stood still at Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport on Tuesday morning.

ORBIS International, an organisation carrying out eye care campaign and skill building activities with a slogan ‘Saving Sight Worldwide’, landed its flagship Flying Eye Hospital (FEH) here on November 19 to conduct a two-week skill exchange programme that will be concluded December 4.

Dr Iftekher Iqbal, an eye specialist of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH), who is a participant of the skill exchange programme exchanged experiences with members of the skilled ORBIS medical team in the Flying Eye Hospital.

“They also use the same technology and equipment for treatments at CMCH. However, the way the surgeons and other ophthalmologists of ORBIS medical behave with the patient is something really appreciable,” he added.

A patient named Jalal who got injured in his eye in a bus accident said that he was suffering last two year for his eye. Finally he got treatment from Orbis flying hospital through the Chittagong Eye Hospital and Training Center. The sincerity of doctors and nurses of the hospital fascinated him.