MSG anaesthetist returns from sight-saving assignment in Mongolia with eye charity Orbis

Dr Michelle Le Cheminant, a consultant anaesthetist at the Medical Specialist Group in Guernsey, has returned from a one–week training programme in Mongolia, using her leave to share vital skills with eye care professionals from across the country.

Michelle’s passion for making a difference led her to volunteer her time with international blindness prevention charity Orbis. For more than 40 years, Orbis has been working to expand eye health services across the globe to make eye care available everywhere, for everyone.

Training was focused on supporting local eye care teams to treat more children and adults at risk of blindness. This took place on board Orbis’s Flying Eye Hospital, the world’s only fully accredited ophthalmic teaching hospital on a plane, and at two partner hospitals, the National Centre for Maternal and Child Health and Third Central Hospital.

The project marked the ninth time the Flying Eye Hospital has held a programme in Mongolia, with the first taking place in 1989. Since 2017, Michelle has taken part in seven Orbis training programmes, in countries including Vietnam, Zambia and China.

Michelle says, ‘It was fantastic to return to Mongolia and see the progress made in eye care provision since my last visit six years ago. Our local anaesthetic trainees were enthusiastic and dedicated. I’m confident that the skills they learned during this project will have a lasting impact on patient care.’

MSG chair Dr Steve Evans says, ‘We’re very proud of and happy to support the important work that Michelle does with Orbis – it’s always inspiring to hear from her about her experiences with the charity.’

Michelle says, ‘I really enjoy volunteering in this way and sharing my knowledge and experience. It’s hard work and the days are long but it’s very rewarding. The hardest thing about volunteering is going home - I always feel that there is more I could contribute if I stayed longer. But of course, I have my commitment to my patients at home in Guernsey.

‘I feel incredibly privileged to have received such a high-quality medical education in the UK. It’s not like that in most other countries; they don’t have the same depth and breadth of teaching.

‘We do a lot of simulation training on these visits, learning from the aviation industry where, just like anaesthetics, emergencies are rare but tend to be very complex and life-threatening. It’s a safe learning environment, using sophisticated mannequins.

‘We have some great interactions with real patients as well! We see all patients in pre-operative assessment, with the support of an interpreter – mine was a final year medical student. There was a lovely elderly lady, the same age as my gran, who couldn’t stop thanking us. I always bring Guernsey gifts with me, and it was lovely to see her sitting up after the surgery, smiling away and eating Sark chocolates.’

The need in Mongolia is urgent. There are an estimated 340,000 people with vision loss, of these 15,000 are blind and 90% is avoidable. Access to high-quality, affordable eye care services is limited in both cities and rural areas due to a lack of equipment, training, and infrastructure.

Cataract, a clouding of the lens, is the most common cause of blindness in Mongolia. Only 56% of people who need the surgery have it, due to a lack of trained eye care specialists. 90% of cataract surgeries are also performed in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, meaning those who live in rural areas must travel long distances over difficult terrain or go without vital surgery, impacting educations and livelihoods.

During the training, Orbis staff and medical volunteers guided local doctors and nurses in simulation and hands-on training, delivering care for patients with cataract, and other serious eye conditions, including glaucoma.

According to estimates, cases of blindness around the world are due to triple by 2050. Through her efforts, alongside other Orbis volunteers, Michelle is playing a key role in transforming the lives of those who could otherwise face permanent blindness. To find out more about how Orbis is working to change this through their long-term programmes, volunteers and their unique Flying Eye Hospital, visit their website: www.orbis.org.uk