International flying eye hospital programme a humbling experience: Pune eye surgeon
The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, a fully-equipped teaching hospital onboard an aeroplane, delivers training, mentorship, and sight-saving procedures to underserved communities worldwide.
The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, a fully-equipped teaching hospital on board an aeroplane, delivers training, mentorship, and sight-saving procedures to underserved communities worldwide. (Express File)
When the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital touched down in Kigali for the organisation’s first-ever training project in Rwanda — a high-impact mission that brought hands-on surgical training, simulation labs, and multidisciplinary workshops to local eye-care teams, among the international volunteer faculty was Pune based Dr. Samita Moolani, who led practical instruction in phacoemulsification cataract surgery for Rwandan surgeons and trainees.
The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital – a fully-equipped teaching hospital onboard an airplane – delivers high-impact training, mentorship, and sight-saving procedures to underserved communities worldwide. The aim is to enhance local resources and empower local doctors, equipping them with advanced surgical skills to improve patient outcomes long after the mission concludes. This initiative marked the first-ever programme by Orbis and the state-of-the-art Flying eye hospital in Rwanda.
Dr Samita Moolani led practical instruction in phacoemulsification cataract surgery for Rwandan surgeons (Express File)
During the two weeks it was stationed on the Kigali tarmac, the Flying Eye hospital became a complete medical campus. Training sessions were conducted in onboard classrooms and live surgeries held at the operating rooms “Teaching phacoemulsification holds special importance in Rwanda where manual small incision cataract surgery is more commonly practiced,” Dr Moolani said, adding that this was her third project as a volunteer but first one performing advanced surgery on the plane.
“As a surgeon, how many people can say they have operated on a plane? An invitation to participate in these projects is an absolute honour”, Dr Moolani said ,adding that this experience was a humbling one and makes you go way beyond your comfort zone. The ophthalmologist particularly recalled her first patient – an elderly woman who had been struggling with poor vision. “Despite the woman’s challenges, she radiated positive energy and although we did not understand a single word the other spoke, I could understand her emotion through her smile and eyes,” Dr Moolani said.
While operating in a new environment is a challenge, the surgeon said that the positive mindset at Orbis made it easier to manage (Express File)
The Rwanda initiative restored vision to several local patients and according to Dr Moolani , teaching was as important as patient care. The team was involved in mentoring local medical staff and expanding their clinical skills. “For many Rwandan surgeons, this was the first opportunity to perform hands-on phacoemulsification cataract surgeries under expert supervision,” Dr Moolani added.
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While operating in a new environment is a challenge, the surgeon said that the positive mindset at Orbis made it easier to manage. “The training was vital because it gave surgeons their first hands-on experience with advanced cataract surgery techniques. Watching local doctors gain confidence and skill during the sessions showed that it was important to build sustainable capacity so that they can confidently use these techniques to enhance their surgery,” she added.
Anuradha Mascarenhas is a journalist with The Indian Express and is based in Pune. A senior editor, Anuradha writes on health, research developments in the field of science and environment and takes keen interest in covering women's issues. With a career spanning over 25 years, Anuradha has also led teams and often coordinated the edition.
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