In a move to increase the eye health services in Indonesia, especially to protect and lower the incidence of low vision eye problems and blindness, the Minister of Health recently officiated at the ORBIS FLYING EYE HOSPITAL (FEH) program together with the Indonesian Ophthalmologists Association. (PERDAMI).
“I gladly accept, receive, and support the cooperation of PERDAMI and ORBIS FEH INTERNATIONAL, declared Minister of Health Dr. Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, MPH, PhD. The program commenced at Halim Airport, Jakarta, on 15 June 2010.
ORBIS International is a non-profit international humanitarian eye health organization with a dedicated mission of saving eyesight and preventing blindness worldwide in developing countries.
The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital was inaugurated in 1982. It is a DC-10 aircraft converted into an eye hospital and is fully equipped with the most modern, comprehensive, up-to-date, technically advanced equipment. The volunteer facility consists of a team of professional international world class ophthalmologists, anesthesiologists, nurses, and biomedical technicians. Orbis International has already visited hundreds of cities worldwide in more than 75 countries.
In the ORBIS program, ALCON is a special and valued sponsor with PERDAMI (Indonesian Ophthalmologists Association), contributing excellent medical and surgical services and training.
The program and activities commenced on 14-26 June 2010 in Jakarta at the Flying Eye Hospital at Halim Airport and also at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital. The program then shifted to Surabaya 28 June-10 July 2010 to the Flying Eye Hospital at the military airfield at Djuanda and also at Sutomo Hospital.
According to Dr. Tjahjono D. Gondowiardjo, Ophthalmologist, PhD, the chairman of PERDAMI, this cooperative program is very important because the number of blind people in Indonesia is the highest in Southeast Asia. This is especially caused by the imbalance between the incidences of cataract cases numbering 210,000 individuals each year, compared to the number of cataract operations numbering 80,000 per year— which ultimately ends up creating a large backlog of cataract patients.
The Minister of Health also added that to overcome the problems of low vision problems and blindness, Indonesia will take part in a program initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1999 titled: VISION 2020—THE RIGHT TO SIGHT.
The Ministry of Health has already developed a plan to try and overcome low vision and blindness problems by the year 2020. It is termed the National Strategic Plan to Overcome Low Vision and Blindness. (Renstranas PGPK). It has been implemented through Kepmenkes No. 1473/MESKES/SK/2005.
The Renstranas program includes such instrumental services such as local community health centers, specialized community health centers for eye problems, General Hospitals, and Specialized Eye Hospitals.
