Vietnam: Orbis International provides eye care training for health workers in Can Tho

Can Tho, May 26 (VNA) - Orbis International, a global non-profit organisation dedicated to preventing and treating avoidable blindness, has launched a clinical training programme on board the Flying Eye Hospital, a fully accredited ophthalmic teaching hospital on board a plane, for 52 eye-care professionals at hospitals in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho. Over the course of three weeks, which runs from May 8-29, Orbis’s clinical staff and medical experts provided in-person, hands-on training to help these medical staff build their skills to treat the leading causes of blindness and visual impairment in their communities. This marks the 12th time the Flying Eye Hospital has held a training project in Vietnam, including one virtual project on Cybersight, Orbis’s telemedicine platform. According to Pham Kim Ngoc, Country Director of Orbis Vietnam, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Orbis office in Hanoi. Orbis started collaborating with the eye health sector in Vietnam in 1996 by providing hospital-based trainings at the Vietnam National Institute of Ophthalmology. Since then, Orbis Vietnam and its partners have worked to increase the quality of care available by improving training and strengthening human resources. In addition to hosting now 12 Flying Eye Hospital projects, Orbis Vietnam has helped establish screening and treatment centers for retinopathy of prematurity and other pediatric eye care, hospitals, vision centers, a wet lab, and an eye bank. This project will complement Orbis's ongoing programmes throughout the country and contribute to the National Blindness Prevention Strategy, which was approved by the prime minister in 2016. Orbis Vietnam has so far provided eye screenings and examinations to nearly 5.3 million people, medical and optical treatment for over one million people, surgical treatment for nearly 140,000 people, and trained almost 33,000 eye health professionals. Last year, Orbis screened more than 70,000 students for eye diseases and trained more than 200 ophthalmologists in Can Tho. This year, it will provide free surgeries for 70 cases. Nguyen Thuc Hien, Vice Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee, said that Orbis’s programme has helped medical staff at Can Tho Maxillo Dental and Eye Hospital and Can Tho Children's Hospital have the opportunity to exchange valuable experiences in research and application of science in the treatment of eye diseases, contributing to improving the health care for local people./.