Orbis Launches First Ophthalmic Training and Skills Exchange Program in Eastern Indonesia

NEW YORK, May 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In support of Orbis's long-term commitment to strengthening the ophthalmic services in Indonesia, the Flying Eye Hospital (FEH) has landed for the first time in Makassar to conduct an intensive and comprehensive training and skills exchange program. The program represents an expansion of Orbis programing beyond the main island of Java and will focus on providing subspecialty training in the areas of cataract, glaucoma, medical and surgical retina as well as in pediatric ophthalmology.

The comprehensive two-week training program will also include a series of workshops and symposiums providing nurses, anesthesiologists and biomedical engineers with an opportunity to further enhance their skills, while hospital administrators will participate in an intensive three day Quality Assurance Workshop.  In addition, the FEH program will offer Residents the opportunity to benefit from a comprehensive Wet Lab training modeled on the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) wet lab curriculum standards.

Orbis has had a long tradition of working in Indonesia and this program will mark the 5^th time the Flying Eye Hospital is visiting the country. In addition to the clinical training, which will take place in partnership with Hasanuddin University Hospital, Orbis will work with its long-term partner in the country, the Indonesian Ophthalmologists Association, also know a Perdami, to help raise public attention on the eye care conditions and challenges faced in the country.

"Over the past few years, Orbis has had a comprehensive training approach in Indonesia, which included Flying Eye Hospital visits, hospital based programs and fellowship opportunities for Indonesia ophthalmologists," said Dr. Ahmed Gomaa, Medical Director of the FEH. "We are happy to be able to expand our work to Eastern Indonesia with this FEH program and look forward to our partnership with Hasanuddin University Hospital as well as continuing the successful corporation and work with Perdami."

While the needs of the eye care communities and the challenges they face vary across the different regions at the national level, the major causes of blindness in Indonesia reflect global trends and include: cataract, glaucoma and corneal disease.

About Orbis
Orbis is a nonprofit, organization that 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. 

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SOURCE Orbis