NEW YORK, May 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Orbis, a
leading global non-governmental organization (NGO) that works to
eliminate avoidable blindness, in cooperation with longtime global
sponsor FedEx, has brought the Flying Eye Hospital (FEH)—the
world's only accredited ophthalmic training hospital aboard a DC-10
aircraft—to Hanoi, Vietnam for the
first time. Orbis is working with the Vietnam National Institute of
Ophthalmology (VNIO) to hold a two-week national ophthalmic
training program from May 25 –
June 5, 2015, following a successful
two-week FEH program recently conducted in Hue, Vietnam from May
4 – 15, 2015.
The Hanoi FEH program aims to strengthen the surgical skills of
ophthalmologists and enhance the capacity of eye care services
provided by VNIO, especially in pediatric ophthalmology. In
particular, the program focuses on advancing hands-on and
participant level skills in the areas of cornea, medical and
surgical retina, orthoptics, oculoplastics and conditions affecting
children, including strabismus and glaucoma. The program also
provides hands-on training tailored to nurses, anesthesiologists,
biomedical engineers and other healthcare professionals in the
areas of pediatric nursing, quality assurance and management, safe
pediatric anesthesia and medical equipment management.
Eye diseases and blindness are common in Vietnam. The 2007 Rapid Assessment of
Avoidable Blindness (RAAB) study estimated that more than half a
million Vietnamese people are blind, and the majority of blindness
is caused by cataract (66.1%). Approximately 3 million Vietnamese
children are visually impaired, while more than 23,000 of them
suffer from bilateral blindness[1]. Another study of children
attending blind schools showed that the main causes of childhood
blindness were retina (24.6%) and cornea (24%) diseases. Among
them, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), which is an eye disorder
affecting premature babies, represented 32.6% of blindness in
children under 10 years old, and 6% between the ages of 10 and
16[2].
Eye disease modality and treatment in children are very
different from adults. Children's eyes are not just smaller, but
they require special, trained surgical techniques, including
nursing and anesthesia. Although significant progress has been made
in recent years to address the avoidable blindness problems in
adults, there is still inadequate coverage of pediatric eye care
services in rural districts in Vietnam.
There is also a shortage of trained pediatric ophthalmologists
and equipment needed to detect common childhood eye diseases
locally. Therefore, the National Blindness Prevention Steering
Committee (NBPSC), which is led by VNIO and chaired by the Ministry
of Health, has identified the prevention of childhood blindness as
a priority eye care issue in the country.
"To tackle the root causes of the issue, VNIO, together with
several key ophthalmic institutes and eye care NGOs including
Orbis, has identified three key strategic pillars, which will be
our focus for the next three years," said Jenny Hourihan, President and CEO of Orbis
International. "The three strategic pillars include: 1) developing
guidelines of minimum service provision that children should expect
to access at all levels of the public health system; 2)
standardizing the training program of human resource development
for pediatric ophthalmology; and 3) reforming the application of
the Health Insurance System to generate funding for pediatric eye
care services."
To enhance the quality and safety of clinical services for
children delivered by VNIO, as well as to strengthen its capacity
to produce training materials and conduct teaching courses in
pediatric ophthalmology, Orbis launched a 5-year project in
August 2013 named "Strengthening the
Capacity of National Institute of Ophthalmology to Improve
Pediatric Eye Health in Vietnam,"
which will run through December 2017
in Hanoi.
Backed by extensive research and analysis undertaken by Orbis in
Vietnam and VNIO, the project
covers human resource development, quality assurance, institutional
capacity building, education programs and advocacy of the nation's
child eye care policy. It also aims to transform Vietnam's pediatric ophthalmology in order to
meet international standards and best practices, which is the main
goal of the Hanoi FEH program.
"As a global sponsor of Orbis for more than three decades, FedEx
continues to support its mission to eliminate avoidable blindness
in children and adults in the developing world," said Mr.
Binh Nguyen, FedEx Senior Manager,
Indochina & Myanmar &
Chief Representative for Vietnam.
"By supporting the FEH training program in Hanoi, we are committed to helping strengthen
the ongoing projects on childhood blindness prevention carried out
by Orbis and VNIO in Vietnam."
FedEx has previously supported five Orbis FEH programs in
Vietnam since 2006, including four
in Da Nang and one in Ho Chi Minh City.
About Vietnam National Institute of Ophthalmology
(VNIO)
Vietnam National Institute of Ophthalmology is the
leading institution that delivers tertiary-level ophthalmic
services, trains all types of human resources for eye care and
conducts research as well as coordinates national prevention of
blindness programs in Vietnam. It
also engages in scientific research and community ophthalmology by
actively disseminating eye care information to the public. VNIO
also acts as an advisory body to the Ministry of Health on eye
health policies, and leads the National Blindness Prevention
Steering Committee, which was established in 2007 and chaired by
the Ministry of Health.
About Orbis
Orbis prevents and treats blindness
through hands-on training, public health education, improved access
to quality eye care, advocacy and partnerships with local health
care organizations. By building long-term capabilities, Orbis helps
its partner institutions take action to reach a state where they
can provide, on their own, quality eye care services that are
affordable, accessible, and sustainable. To learn more about Orbis,
please visit www.orbis.org.
About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides
customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of
transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual
revenues of $46 billion, the company
offers integrated business applications through operating companies
competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the
respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world's
most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than
300,000 team members to remain "absolutely, positively" focused on
safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the
needs of their customers and communities. For more
information, visit news.fedex.com.
Media Contacts:
Orbis: Silvana Vivas
Email: Silvana.vivas@orbis.org
FedEx contact: Steve Barber
Email: smbarber1@fedex.com
[1] A survey of child eye diseases conducted in conjunction
with the RAAB in 2007.
[2] Hans Limburg, Clare
Gilbert, Do Nhu Hon, Nguyen Chi
Dung, Prevalence and Causes of Blindness in Children in
Vietnam, Ophthalmology, Volume
119, Issue 2, Pages 355-361, February
2012.
Related Links
Learn more about Orbis.
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