Gansu Province, China
Province Capital: Lanzhou
Language: Northern Mandarin Chinese dialects
Province population: 25,575,254
The Problem
- China accounts for 18% of the world’s blind people.
- Of the one million children suffering from blindness in Asia, 400,000 live in China.
- China has the highest rate of childhood Myopia (short-sightedness/nearsightedness) in the world.
- The major causes of blindness reflect world trends, including Cataracts, Corneal Disease and Glaucoma.
- Only about 50% of the estimated 22,000 eye doctors in China can perform cataract surgery and a disproportionate amount are located in urban areas.
ORBIS and China
- This is the 37th Flying Eye Hospital programme in China and it’s second visit to Lanzhou.
- Country level doctors and rural outreach workers will work side by side with leading international specialists.
- The programme teaches and trains Chinese eye care professionals for two weeks in Gansu Province, with a particular focus on childhood blindness and building capacity in paediatric ophthalmology.
- Participants will be involved in skills exchange programmes to strengthen the quality of eye-care services available.
Despite recent industrial growth and economic expansion, Gansu is considered one of China’s most impoverished areas and the infrastructure and capacity of health facilities in the region is generally poor. At both the provincial and national levels in China, the availability of eye care services needs improvement.
ORBIS provides the tools, training and technology necessary in developing countries to make eye care available to all.
Give the gift of sight today.
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