Continuing on, we came to the aft section of the plane, where the hallway opened out into an open space at the back end of a large recovery room. Several hospital beds were laid out along one side of the room, accompanied by all of the accoutrements you'd see in a real hospital.
Recovery Room
An ophthalmic nurse (unfortunately I didn't get her name) gave us a talk about the role of the room and of her time and experiences with Orbis.
Sterilization Room
We then proceeded through very hospital-like swinging doors into a small chamber with large expanses of clean, white tabletop, cupboards, and cabinets. This was the sterilization room, and in addition to its native function, connected the recovery room with the operating room.
Another set of swinging doors brought us into the operating room proper, where we all gathered around the array of medical equipment and closed-circuit monitoring equipment, all focused on a various parts of the room. And, in the center of the room stood a single operating table.
Orbis DC-10 Operating Room
Closed Circuit Monitoring
Just off to the side, sitting on a rolling stool, was Doctor Brian Leonard. He waited for us all to file into the room, and then began a talk where he explained the background, purpose and accomplishments of the Orbis project.
Doctor Leonard is a practicing Ophthalmologist at the University of Ottawa Eye Institute at the Ottawa Hospital, and is a specialist in retinovitreous services and procedures. Dr. Leonard has performed many missions with Orbis, flying overseas, performing and demonstrating surgeries in less-developed countries. He is also a pilot who used to fly the previous version of the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital back in the 80s, which was at that time in a [much smaller] DC-8 aircraft.
Dr. Brian Leonard
Dr. Leonard gave us a ten minute talk about the core problem that Orbis is trying to solve - that of millions of people worldwide who are blind or go blind unnecessarily, and what Orbis does to help alleviate that problem. It is essentially a two-pronged approach: the first is the obvious one, of flying in and performing actual surgeries. The second is perhaps less obvious but far more important: teaching local health care professionals the techniques to enable them to perform the procedures, and to cascade the teaching to yet other health care professionals, thereby establishing a self-sustaining propagation of these sight-saving techniques. It is only in this way that tens of millions of affected people will have any hope of getting the treatment they need.
I recorded a portion of Dr. Leonard's talk, and if you wish you can watch it by clicking on the video panel below.
Video, Brief Talk by Orbis Canada president Dr. Brian Leonard - Click on video above to start
After Dr. Leonard's talk was over, we headed back to the front of the plane, as our tour was over. There were a few spots that we did not have time or the ability to visit, unfortunately, including the communications room at the back of the plane and the ophthalmic equipment repair demonstration room in the lower deck. Perhaps in the future version of the hospital (as I mention later, this DC-10 will soon be replaced), they'll hold another tour and we can see those areas, too.
Exterior Fuselage
With our tour over, we descended back to the tarmac and back through the FedEx facility. I took a couple more parting shots of this graceful and [now rare] bird before heading back off to work.
It had been a very interesting and informative tour -- and not solely for the airplane buff side of me -- and I admire the Orbis organization for the tireless work they are doing. A few kudos must also go to the major sponsors of this endeavour, too - especially FedEx and United airlines. Running and maintaining a widebody jet like this is not cheap.
Unfortunately, the limited amount of sunlight in Ottawa in November coupled with an incoming batch of snow and limited visibility prevented me from getting a good shot of the Orbis DC-10 in the air. I went to
airliners.net for a solution, and after a little bit of poking and asking around, Barry Shipley graciously allowed me to use his recent photo of the Orbis DC-10 taking off into a clear blue sky. Thanks, Barry!
courtesy BShipley
This may well be one of the last times this DC-10-10 does a tour with Orbis. It is scheduled for decomissioning in 2012; in its place, FedEx has donated a newer, more capable, longer-range plane: a DC-10-30F freighter. The freighter is currently undergoing refit in Italy; It will have substantial upgrades made to it to convert into an MD-10 (primarily this involves an entirely new 2-man glass cockpit derived from the MD-11), and, of course, it's interior will be converted into the latest generation of flying eye hospital.
Here's hoping that in the conversion from freighter to hospital, they don't forget to put windows in. I can't imagine a hospital that has no windows to look out of with your fixed-up eyes!
