ORBIS PROJECT

ORBIS International is a non-aligned, non-profit global development organization which is working towards its mission of preventing avoidable blindness. With an aim to contribute to the reduction of avoidable childhood blindness in Marathwada region of Maharashtra , ORBIS International has joined hands with Shri Ganapati Netralaya, Jalna for ORBIS-Shri Ganapati Netralaya Child Eye Care Project. The Project started from 1st March , 2005.

Since 1982, ORBIS has carried out over 700 short and long-term programs in 83 countries. ORBIS have trained more than 72,000 ophthalmologists, nurses, biomedical engineers, and other healthcare workers. They, in turn, have provided treatment and training to hundreds of thousands of people in their home countries.

As a non-profit organization, ORBIS International strives to eliminate avoidable blindness and restore sight in the developing world, where 90% of the world's blind live. ORBIS is a founding member of Vision 2020, a global initiative led by the World Health Organization and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, which aims to end avoidable blindness by the year 2020.

ORBIS works in partnership with local health professionals and institutions to improve the quality and accessibility of eye care for people living where the need is greatest. In 2004 alone, more than 19,500 doctors, nurses and other essential healthcare workers enhanced their skills in ORBIS training programs. That same year over 650,000 children and adults were medically treated for eye conditions and 43,000 surgeries were performed thanks to ORBIS and ORBIS-supported programs.

At the heart of ORBIS is the world's only Flying Eye Hospital, a DC-10 wide-body aircraft converted into an innovative teaching facility and ophthalmic surgical center. The ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital and its international medical team have conducted treatment and training programs in more than 70 countries since 1982. Many of the world's leading surgeons donate their time to perform surgery and teach aboard the aircraft, in programs specifically designed to suit the needs of host countries.

While the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital and its team continue to provide vital surgical training around the world, ORBIS has created permanent offices to focus on five priority countries: Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India and Vietnam. Ongoing national programs have been established, focusing on the treatment and prevention of childhood blindness and blindness caused by cataract, trachoma and corneal disease. The country offices are run by local health professionals who are responsible for developing comprehensive and integrated approaches to improve the quality and accessibility of local eye care services.

Key strategies include                                                                                                Top

Training of eye care professionals
Strengthening eye care institutions such as hospitals, training centers and eye banks
Introducing health financing systems
Providing ophthalmic equipment along with related management systems
Advocating supportive national and global policies
Increasing the general public's awareness about the importance of protecting sight.

More than half of all ORBIS programs are directed towards blindness in children.
In countries where ORBIS does not have comprehensive year-round programs, many of the same training and educational tools that have proven successful are made available. Lasting from one to four weeks, individually-tailored ORBIS hospital-based training programs include the provision of surgical, nursing and biomedical engineering training as well as assistance in the establishment of eye care programs.

Harnessing the extraordinary reach of the Internet, ORBIS has continued its tradition of using innovative technology by establishing Cyber-Sight®, our unique telemedicine initiative. With Cyber-Sight, teams of volunteer ophthalmologists, often leaders in their fields, provide educational support and advice on patient evaluation to doctors in less-advantaged countries. To date, more than 1,900 such 'e-consultations' have been conducted.

Since 1982, ORBIS has created a global network of dedicated volunteers and full-time staff, all united in a common purpose: the eradication of unnecessary blindness and the lifelong preservation of sight for all people. Volunteers are a crucial part of ORBIS. Our volunteers include more than 400 leading medical professionals, many of whom work for the most renowned eye care institutions in the United States, as well as a roster of 17 volunteer pilots from FedEx Express and United Airlines who get the Flying Eye Hospital to and fro from its program destinations.

To date, more than a million people have received direct medical treatment and more than 93,000 healthcare professionals have enhanced their skills through ORBIS programs in over 80 countries. Most importantly, it is now estimated that as many as 22.5 million children and adults have benefited from ORBIS programs worldwide - as a result of the skills gained by medical professionals through ORBIS training, then shared among colleagues and passed on to patients.

As a non-profit, every service ORBIS provides is entirely free of charge to both host countries and patients. Obtaining sufficient financial and gift-in-kind donations from individuals, corporations and foundations is a constant need. ORBIS is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. In the time that it has taken you to read this, one more person somewhere in the world will have lost their sight. The scale of our challenge is enormous, so please help us by donating today.

ORBIS-Shri Ganapati Netralaya Pediatric Clinic

A separate pediatric wing is being set up at Shri Ganapati Netralaya for carrying out the OPD of children .

The pediatric wing consists of : Reception Room , Consultant Room, Feeding Room, Play Room , Play Area , ORBIS office , and separate toilets for ladies and gents.

As the project progresses the number of pediatric patients benefited is increasing day by day, these strengthens the need of such project.

Achievements/Statistics of the Project from 1-03-2005 To 31-08-2007:

1. Pediatric Unit is been upgraded as per standards, and as a result a separate ,well equipped pediatric ophthalmology department is established.

2. 96,318, pediatric patients examined for various ocular eye problems at OPD , Camps and School screening programs.

3. 2808, pediatric surgeries performed .

4. 423 teachers/ volunteers/aanganwadi sevika trained in preliminary vision testing of children.

5. 710 free spectacles sponsored by ORBIS-International were distributed to needy School students through School screening camps.

6. 468 Doctors are trained in pediatric eye care through CME , Observership, Attending conferences (Regional/National/International) and other training programs.

7. Several PR activities like Children Day, World Sight Day were celebrated to create awareness about child eye care among masses.


Remember:

“Every 5 seconds one person in the world goes blind…and A child goes blind every minute.”

Join us in the mission of saving sight worldwide.


Upcoming Events at  Shri Ganapati Netralaya :

1.  One day 'CME on Pediatric Oculoplastics'  7-Oct-2007.

2. Hospital based program  on Orthoptic from 8-Oct-2007 to 12-Oct-2007.

3. One day 'CME on Orthoptic and Pediatric Optometry' 12-Oct-2007.

4.  Teachers Training Program on 30-Sep-2007 at Aurangabad.

(For more details contact Mr. Vivek Pandey Mob : 9326051367)

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