Binh Dinh (VNA) - TheOrbis Flying Eye Hospital on May 30 began a training course for medical staffof the General Hospital and Eye Hospital of central Binh Dinh province.

Running until June 9, the trainingcourse is part of a cooperation programme between Orbis International and BinhDinh, with a view to turning the province into an eye disease treatment centre ofthe south central and Central Highlands regions, whose the blindness rates standat 5.5 and 3.1 percent, respectively.

According to Orbis Global MedicalDirector Jonathan Lord, the ophthalmic course focuses on hand-on practices frombasic to advanced levels regarding the prevention and treatment of eye diseases. 

The training course is tailoredfor local ophthalmologists, nurses, anaesthesiologists, biomedical engineersand technicians through lectures, case discussions, observation, workshops andsymposiums.

Orbis will also train the BinhDinh General Hospital’s medical staff screening retinopathy of prematurity(ROP) – a disease in premature babies that can lead to permanent blindness andis on the rise in middle-income countries like Vietnam.

The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital isthe world's only airborne ophthalmic surgical and training facility, whichOrbis uses to support developing countries in preventing blindness andprotecting people’s eyesight.

In Vietnam, Orbis has implementedlong-term projects since 2000. It helped form paediatric eye care centres inHanoi, Hue, Da Nang, Can Tho and Binh Dinh.-VNA