ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital in Mumbai to train doctors.

Mumbai, Mar 29 (UNI) The world's only airborne ophthalmic surgical and training facility, 'The ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital', part of ORBIS global sight saving organisation, today landed at the Sahar International airport in Mumbai for the two-week intensive medical training programme.

ORBIS will train over 150 Indian doctors and 20 nurses side by side with an international team from the Flying Eye Hospital from March 30 to April 10.

In addition, ORBIS will also treat 45 patients and would try to coordinate all eye hospitals of Maharashtra under a single umbrella for better services and awareness, Medical Director Dr David Hunter told UNI onboard ORBIS.

''This is ORBIS's 16th visit to India, globally supported by FedEx, since the FEH programme in Hyderabad in 1988.

This intensive medical training programme comes at the invitation of the Government of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Health, and will be delivered through a unique partnership between ORBIS, the Indian ophthalmic community and FedEx,'' said FEH Director Drew Boshell.

''There are currently 12 million bilaterally blind people in India almost one million of whom live in Maharashtra. Building a long-standing relationship with the Indian opthalmic community is the aim of the 2007 Mumbai FEH programme,'' Mr Boshell said.

On the occasion, ORBIS Brand Ambassador, actor and Rajya Sabha MP Hema Malini, appreciated the endeavours undertaken by FEH in different parts of the world and said: ''A lot can be done as blindness can be eradicated through prevention and treatment. But the media should deliver its role of spreading awareness in the society about vision loss and its treatments.'' She urged people to get associated with a mission to save the vision of millions of people by generating awareness and donation of cornea.

''A defect-free vision should be our national mission,'' she said.

ORBIS FEH is a hospital with wings that took flight after an extensive modification to the passengers area and cargo bay of a DC-10 jet aircraft. On board, local doctors, nurses and technicians work alongside ORBIS's medical team to exchange knowledge and improve their ability to preserve and restore sight.

Since its first programme in 1982, the ORBIS FEH has travelled to more than 70 countries and has positively affected the lives of millions of people from the sub saharan African continent to Asia.

In the 48-seat classroom onboard, doctors gather for lectures, discussions and live broadcasts of surgical procedures being performed in the FEH operating room.

FedEX Express, a leading global transportation company and a subsidiary of FedEx Corp is a global sponsor of ORBIS and has been associated with ORBIS for more than 20 years, helping to bring this unique initiative to parts of the world by donating critically needed aircraft maintenance and equipment for the Flying Eye Hospital.

In addition, FEDEx Express pilots, volunteer to fly this one-of-a-kind aircraft, provide recurrent training to other ORBIS volunteer pilots.

UNI