Orbis International brings sight to Can Tho City
VOV.VN - Orbis International’s flying eye hospital – a fully equipped, state-of-the-art hospital built inside a former military airplane – announced on May 12 it will soon conduct training courses for doctors and nurses in Can Tho City.
The announcement was made by Bui Thi Van Anh of Orbis Vietnam at a Can Tho City People’s Committee meeting.
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In addition, depending on the patient’s financial wherewithal, Ms Anh said the non-profit organization would provide free or low-cost eye care and surgery for local residents on an as needed basis.
Orbis began collaborating with Vietnamese eye care facilities in 1996, through hospital-based programs. In 2000, it began conducting long-term eye care projects with local partners to carry out intensive and appropriate interventions for sustainable blindness prevention.
In 2003 the organization established a permanent office in Vietnam. Since then, it has promoted the delivery of comprehensive eye care services in ten rural provinces of Vietnam through capacity building, infrastructure development and education.
It has also worked to dramatically increase the availability of local corneal tissue for sight-restoring transplantation surgery by advocating for the implementation of legislation for human body tissues in 2004, which allowed the opening of the nation’s first eye bank.
The organization’s staff is made up of volunteer surgeons, nurses, and pilots, and together they fly to developing countries around the globe performing low-cost eye surgeries and teaching medical staff how to do the same.
