The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital is unlike any plane you’ve seen before. A state-of-the-art teaching facility complete with operating room, classroom and recovery room - this amazing aircraft has been an example of the marriage between medicine and aviation since 1982.
Equal parts teacher, advocate and envoy in the global effort to end avoidable blindness, our state-of-the-art flying teaching hospital allows us to travel the world to share knowledge and develop skills with the communities that need it most.
In fact, in 2019 alone more than 1,000 medical professionals were trained on board including lectures, workshops and hands on training.
The Flying Eye Hospital is invited by officials in every county it lands to help train local eye care teams.
The plane opens doors of prime ministers, presidents and ministries of health so that we can make the case for investing in eye health for all.
Our amazing staff and volunteers can then work in partnership with local hospitals to understand skills shortages, and work where the need is greatest.
This level of access has allowed Orbis to help change health policies for the better, reach doctors in need of training, improve the lives of those lacking access to care and develop lasting bonds with people around the globe to ensure a long-term impact.
Kofi Annan
Secretary General of the United Nations, 1997 - 2006
There are few occasions in life when an idea takes off and leads to achievements beyond our wildest expectations: when a mission is driven by a vision so clear and compelling that it literally enables others to see it too. Orbis is one of these.
The Flying Eye Hospital is packed with the latest medical equipment and has some of the very latest training facilities too.
The entire plane is linked up through an advanced audio visual system, allowing those in the classroom to watch surgeries happening in the Operating Room live in 3D - making it as close to the real thing as looking down the microscope yourself.
But no matter what, Orbis always creates tailored and customized curriculum for the partner hospital's needs based on their equipment's capabilities.
Our Volunteer Faculty train local doctors and nurses both on board the aircraft and at the local hospital. We provide education that is both high-quality and long-lasting, so that these medical professionals can use their new skills even after the Flying Eye Hospital departs.
And thanks to our telemedicine platform - Cybersight - doctors from all over the world can join our training programs with the click of a button.
Our lectures are streamed live on Cybersight to eliminate physical barriers. This is especially useful when the plane can't land in conflict areas, but doctors residing there can log on to watch these lectures.
