China's flying hospital has impact in Laos

A "flying Eye and ENT hospital" — a joint project of the Shanghai-based Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University and the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China — is on its maiden international mission in Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

Operating from a domestically manufactured aircraft, the airborne hospital is part of an initiative aimed at linking local Lao hospitals and schools through a series of public health and wellness programs.

The initiative, which combines free medical consultations, joint clinics, charitable surgeries, medical education and health awareness activities, is being held in the year marking the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Laos. It will run through Saturday.

Equipped with state-of-the-art ophthalmic surgical microscopes, ENT endoscopy systems and digital diagnostic equipment, the aircraft landed at Vientiane's Wattay International Airport on Feb 6. The medical team, which arrived on Jan 30 to begin patient screenings, has already examined about 600 individuals.

Complex cases identified during the screenings were referred to the flying hospital for in-depth examinations, multidisciplinary consultations or surgery. In the aircraft's operating room, doctors led by the president of the Shanghai hospital performed the first batch of ophthalmic surgeries conducted overseas aboard the plane.

Altogether, about 50 patients — mainly those suffering from cataract, glaucoma and rhinitis — received free surgeries either on the aircraft or at local hospitals during the initiative.

The new building of Mahosot Hospital, constructed with Chinese government aid, served as the main site for screenings. Chinese and Lao doctors worked side by side, and many local patients specifically sought consultations with the visiting Chinese specialists.

The Chinese medical team also organized ophthalmology and ENT training sessions at the hospital, attracting more than 60 doctors from surrounding medical institutions.

Through detailed presentations and surgical videos, the Chinese doctors shared standardized cataract surgery procedures, refractive cataract surgery planning and techniques for nasal hemostasis surgery, as well as the concept of tiered and standardized diagnosis and treatment. They also introduced new surgical approaches for treating rhinitis.

During the trip, the Shanghai hospital team completed several cataract surgeries and performed the first bilateral temperature-controlled radio frequency ablation under endoscopy at the local hospital.

One notable case involved a patient who was nearly blind because of completely opaque crystalline lenses. The team performed the first local surgery combining tension ring and artificial lens implantation, restoring the patient's vision to 1.0. The Chinese doctors said they would continue mentoring their counterparts in Laos and sharing advanced surgical expertise.

The initiative also extended to local schools. The Chinese medical team visited a primary school in Vientiane's Chanthabuly district, where they tested the vision of about 200 children and screened them for strabismus and amblyopia, commonly known as "lazy eye". Children found with vision abnormalities were referred to the flying hospital for further examination.

School officials said it was the first time students had received ophthalmic examinations since the school was established.

Wen Wen, deputy director of the Shanghai hospital's administrative office, described the aircraft as both a bridge and a starting point for broader cooperation. During the mission, the Shanghai hospital signed a cooperation agreement with Mahosot Hospital, trained local doctors and helped strengthen specialized medical capacity.

"This hospital in Vientiane was built with Chinese aid, but we hope to provide more than just hardware. We aim for more patients and a broader population to benefit significantly," said Wen, who also heads the hospital's blindness prevention and epidemiology disciplines.

In September, the flying hospital made its inaugural flight, transporting more than 30 medical workers from Shanghai to Shihezi in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region with advanced medical equipment.