China's first fully self-developed and self-operated "flying eye hospital" officially kicks off clinical services on Wednesday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Inside the cabin of a domestically developed C909 aircraft, Liang Lingyi, deputy director of the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, was looking into the microscope with his hands steadily maneuvering the surgical scalpel.
The patient, surnamed Zhang, is from a remote area in central Henan province. With the final suture of the ocular surface surgery completed by Liang, Zhang regained her clear vision.
The surgery, which took just a few minutes, was carried out aboard in the apron of Zhengzhou Xinzheng Airport on Wednesday, marking the first of its kind in the world.
"I never imagined I could have a surgery on a plane close to home—no need to travel long distances. And the doctors are so skilled," Zhang said.
After the operation, Zhang repeatedly expressed her gratitude to the medical staff for helping her see the world clearly again.
The surgery marked the official operation of China's first fully self-developed and self-operated "flying eye hospital" for clinical services, according to a statement released by Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center on Wednesday.
China's first fully self-developed and self-operated "flying eye hospital" officially kicks off clinical services on Wednesday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
"The successful surgery validated the clinical feasibility of China's 'flying eye hospital' in a real aviation environment, marking the formal attainment of clinical service capability for the country's first fully self-developed and self-operated 'flying eye hospital', and indicating a critical breakthrough in the integration of high-end mobile medical equipment," it said.
Lin Haotian, director of the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, said the air-space-land-sea integrated eye health service system would help break down geographical barriers, enabling high-quality ophthalmic resources to expand and achieve broader coverage into remote areas, significantly enhancing the resilience and equity of the public health system.
"We hope China's own ophthalmic flying hospital will bring light to more people across mountains and seas, illuminating more places in need in the following years," he said.
Li Qiang, Party secretary of Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, said the mobile eye health digital and intelligent service system, focusing on flying ophthalmic hospitals is a concrete measure taken by his center to serve the Healthy China initiative.
China's first fully self-developed and self-operated "flying eye hospital" officially kicks off clinical services on Wednesday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
"It enables high-quality medical resources to move on demand, allowing more people to receive eye disease diagnosis and undergo surgeries right at their doorsteps," he added.
The aircraft, named "Wings of Light" or Guang Ming Zhi Yi, is a comprehensive modification based on the C909 plane, representing a collaborative achievement of the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China and China Flying Dragon General Aviation Co.
The cabin interior is meticulously designed according to ophthalmic surgery room standards, equipped with all necessary professional devices such as high-definition microscopes and sterile operating tables.
With a standard range of 3,700 kilometers, the aircraft can easily reach remote and inaccessible areas, including isolated mountainous regions and highland hinterlands.
