At the meeting. Photo: VNT

Orbis International will support more than 60,000 children in the Mekong Delta region with eye check-ups and assist over 10,000 students with surgeries under a project slated for next year, reported VNA.

Authorities of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on May 19 received representatives of the organisation regarding the integration of an eye screening project into annual health examination for children in 2023.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thuc Hien spoke highly of Obis’ projects which help residents in the Mekong Delta access high-quality eye care services, asking the organisation to care more for rural children.

Specifically, in the 2016 - 2018 period, Orbis has implemented the project "Light for children in the Mekong Delta". Thereby, established the Children's Ophthalmology Department at the city's Eye and Odonto- Stomatology Hospital; training, conducted medical examination and treatment of children's eyes; supported the equipping of basic ophthalmic equipment for two hospitals under the project included the Eye and Odonto- Stomatology Hospital and the Children Hospital.

In 2017, Orbis also continued to implement the 2017 Orbis Flying Eye Hospital Programme, which supported more than 200 patients to be examined and treated for eye diseases; at the same time, held capacity building training for more than 100 ophthalmologists and professional guidance for nurses.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thuc Hien acknowledged and highly appreciated Orbis for actively supporting the city in successfully implementing projects on children's eye care. Photo: VNT

Hien then assigned relevant agencies to support and build specific plans for the launch of projects.

Doris Macharia, senior vice president of Global Programmes of Orbit International, expressed her hope that in the coming year, hospitals and relevant agencies in Can Tho will continue to work with the non-profit organisation in the implementation of programmes providing children with eye screening and improving skills of health workers in ophthalmology.

Orbis will cover the fees for the services for about 500 poor and pre-school children, improve capacity of health workers in the community, teachers and school nurses through three-week training courses in May 2023, she added.

Doris Macharia, senior vice president of Global Programmes of Orbit International commits to accompany the health sector in blindness care and prevention in Vietnam as well as in Can Tho. Photo: VNT

The Flying Eye Hospital, operated by the US-based Orbis International, is a state-of-the-art and surgical training hospital on board on MD-10 aircraft. Orbis International is celebrating 40 years of innovation to fight avoidable blindness around the world, commemorating the debut flight of its Flying Eye Hospital, a fully accredited ophthalmic teaching hospital on board a plane that launched a legacy that has continued to define Orbis over the past four decades. In Vietnam, Orbis has implemented long-term projects since 2000. It helped form paediatric eye care centres in Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang, Can Tho and Binh Dinh. The nonprofit has worked with the health sector of Can Tho to roll out various eye care projects for children, particularly the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, which provides eye treatment for more than 200 patients and improves skills for some 100 ophthalmologists. In 2017, the organisation began its project to support children in the Mekong Delta and present medical supplies to local hospitals.

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