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Orbis unveils next-generation Flying Eye Hospital
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Orbis International has unveiled the third-generation Flying Eye Hospital, the MD-10, at Los Angeles International Airport.
“[The MD-10] was 6 years in the making. It combines the latest avionics, medical technology and clinical expertise, and hospital construction expertise,” Bob Ranck, CEO and president of Orbis, said during a live broadcast of the unveiling. “Something like this takes a lot of expertise, takes a lot of dedication, and this could not have been possible without the passion and financial support of the Orbis family.”
At the unveiling of the MD-10, Orbis also announced the retirement of the DC-10 Flying Eye Hospital, which served the company for 22 years. Upgrades in the new model include state-of-the-art medical technology and airflow temperature and humidity that are designed to hospital standards. The MD-10 also includes a modular design, 3-D technology and live broadcast capabilities, which will enable the Orbis team and its faculty volunteers to train doctors, nurses and health care professionals.
Source: Orbis
FedEx, which has been partnered with Orbis for more than 30 years, donated the airplane for the MD-10, as well as the maintenance to keep the plane in the air.
“We are extremely proud of this aircraft because it has never been done before, and FedEx loves things that have never been done before. To tackle it with such great partners and to build such a great tool for ophthalmologists around the world to use to help get rid of blindness, we can’t think of a more heart-moving adventure to be a part of,” Greg Hall, senior vice president of technical operations at FedEx, said.
According to Ranck, the MD-10 is equal parts teacher and envoy because the airplane gives Orbis a platform to advocate for health care and improved health systems.
“[The MD-10] is an advocate because you can bring up prime ministers, you can bring up ministers of health, you can bring up philanthropists and make a case for them as to why investments in eye health and health care systems are important to their society and to their people,” Ranck said.
Approximately 280 million people in the world are visually impaired or blind, and 90% of those people live in developing countries where the main problem is getting access to eye care to help restore their vision, Ranck said.
“Our mission is to get people together to fight blindness. We teach people to do the sight-saving surgeries,” he said.
“The sustainability that Orbis is committed to, not just transforming a single patient at a time, but taking the skills and the ability to teach surgery and surgeons around the world, upgrade skills and advance the practice of ophthalmology around the world, is absolutely amazing,” Robert Warner, global franchise head of Alcon Vision Care, said. – by Nhu Te
Source: Orbis
Source: Orbis