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Orbis commitment 'too hard'

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EYE doctors would have to give up their practices or public hospital posts to volunteer for the world's only flying eye hospital, the Hong Kong Ophthalmological Society said.

Society president Dr Ho Chi-kin said that because most local ophthalmologists were in private practice it would be very difficult for them to join Project Orbis.

'Doctors have to commit themselves to the project for at least six months and because most eye doctors here work alone in private practice it would be quite impossible for them to give that amount of time,' he said.

Ophthalmologists working in the territory's public hospitals get only four weeks annual leave and so Dr Ho said it would also be extremely difficult for them to volunteer for Orbis without giving up their jobs.

Last week, Orbis announced that it had failed to attract a single offer of help from eye doctors in the territory despite receiving millions of dollars in donations from the Hong Kong community.

The project's flying eye hospital has helped restore the sight of 18,000 people in 70 countries while training 28,000 doctors and nurses in new skills.

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