Krishani is the Communications Manager at ORBIS UK and has been at ORBIS since February 2009.
The ORBISFlyingEyeHospital
is no stranger to Uganda.
Twice before it has landed at EntebbeInternationalAirport,
drawing the attention of the country’s medical professionals, media and
government.
I, on the
other hand, am not so well-travelled. But as communications manager for ORBIS UK I was lucky enough to witness the excitement
of the ORBISFlyingEyeHospital
in action for the first time when I flew to Uganda
to capture its work with eye care teams in Kampala and volunteer medics from around the
world.
On Sunday
28th February I joined a UK
journalist and a volunteer photographer at Entebbe
to welcome the plane as it touched down for its third and final sight-saving
mission in Africa this year. The plane and its
crew had flown directly from Nigeria
to Uganda,
but there was no time for rest. Immediately, work began to convert the plane from
flight mode to hospital mode; unpacking crates of delicate medical equipment
and setting up the recovery and operating rooms.We helped where we could as this well oiled
machine readied itself for the mission ahead.
MulagoHospital - our main partner - was the stage
for screening day. Mulago’s ophthalmologists had each referred 30 patients. Together
with the ORBIS volunteers, they decided on the best training cases for
treatment onboard the FlyingEyeHospital,
focusing on child cataract
and squint as well as adult glaucoma.
On a wooden
chair in the corner, one boy waited his turn with a stillness far beyond his
seven years. His name was Kitonsa Kasozi. His mother, Deborah, told us of his problems
seeing the school blackboard and how she decided to come to Mulago to ensure his
education. Kitonsa had a squint in each eye; his condition is common in Uganda so his
treatment would make an excellent training case.He was invited to board the ORBIS plane for
an operation on Thursday.
It was heart-warming
to know that ORBIS was funding the surgery of every patient I met that day. Whether
onboard the FlyingEyeHospital
or at Mulago by the programme’s local ophthalmologists, no one would go
untreated.
On the ORBISFlyingEyeHospital
the hard work and dedication of the staff and volunteers was plain to see.
And when
Thursday came it was Kitonsa’s turn to board.
As calm as
ever, Kitonsa greeted us with a smile and a high-five. Deborah, nervous but
pleased to finally be here, joined me in the waiting area, whilst in the
operating room volunteer ophthalmologist Dr Neely and Dr Grace from MulagoHospital
corrected the muscles in Kitonsa’s eyes so he could see straight for the first
time in his life. In less than an hour he was in recovery with Deborah back by
his side.
After the
anaesthetic wore off – and thanks to a donated teddy bear – Kitonsa was back to
his inquisitive self. Despite what must have been a painful and disorienting
experience, he didn’t once cry, and with his lollipop and teddy bear in hand he
and Deborah left the plane for a night at Mulago.
When we
arrived early the next morning for post-op assessments, none of us were
surprised to find Kitonsa and Deborah already there. They were grateful for the
care they had received and didn’t want to keep anyone waiting. Kitonsa was
doing very well. He will have to return for follow-ups, but his future looks bright.
He told me that his favourite school subject is science and that he wants to be
a doctor.Deborah said she will support
him in anything he wants to do as now everything is possible!
It was a rewarding
week in so many ways. Patients have been given back the gift of sight and have
given their neighbours the confidence to visit the hospital. Doctors have
exchanged skills, and my team from the UK
will share stories of the amazing people at Mulago hospital, onboard the plane,
and of Uganda,
with people like you.
Though the FlyingEyeHospital has been a
beacon for eye care on several occasions there is much more work to do. The president
is visiting the plane next week and we hope this will boost the chances of opening
Uganda’s
first ever eye bank. This is a much needed resource – objects in the eye are a
major contributor to blindness and corneal tissue is needed for sight-saving transplants.
Although it
was a week of firsts for me, this was already the third programme of 2010 for the
FlyingEyeHospital.
Another six missions lie ahead this year - six places where they will work with
local eye care teams to provide treatment that will change the lives of
patients forever. I won’t be there on those occasions, but I know they will
continue to do amazing work.
You can
meet Esther, another patient from Kampala
in our Eye Report here:
