ORBIS flying hospital coming to Bangladesh in November

The ORBIS flying eye hospital that conducts eye training programmes across the world is coming to Bangladesh next month.

The international NGO’s Bangladesh Country Director Munir Ahmed said the hospital on jet plane will land in Chittagong on Nov 19 and carry out the training programmes onboard until Nov 30.

This will be its 10th programme in Bangladesh, he said at a programme in Dhaka on Tuesday, organised jointly with Bangladesh Health Reporters Forum, BHRF.

This is the world's only accredited ophthalmic training hospital onboard.

A senior eye specialist Prof Ava Hossain, who took training from the first flight in Bangladesh in 1985, said training was “effective” as the eye discipline was still growing at the time.

“There was no good training at that time which we have in Bangladesh now. I had just completed my post-graduation. There was lack of equipment. There was no such sub-speciality. That training was very effective,” she recalled.

“It’s a good way of exchanging knowledge."

This year, the hospital will provide continuing medical education tailored for 315 eye doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists, biomedical engineers and technicians through lectures, observation, hands-on training, workshops and symposiums.

This programme will focus on training in eight subspecialties of ophthalmology including cataract retina, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), oculoplastics, pediatric cataract and strabismus.

Some 200 patients have been selected by a Chittagong hospital for this training. Those who will be operated on will be followed up even after the departure of the plane.

Eye specialist Prof Deen Mohammed Noorul Huq, a former director general for health services, said the arrival of this aircraft helps to generate much needed awareness about preventing blindness.

ORBIS helped Bangladesh conduct the first eye care survey back in 2003. The government has planned to carry out a blindness survey next year, he said.

Pro-Vice Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Prof Sharfuddin Ahmed and President of the BHRF Toufiq Maruf were also present, among others, at the programme.