Lucknow: When the ‘Flying Hospital’ touched down in Gorakhpur, it did not arrive with fanfare, but with precision, purpose, and a promise to bring light back into fading worlds. For 69-year-old Amarnath Gupta, that promise meant everything. Cataracts had slowly reduced his once-vibrant surroundings to a blur, stealing simple joys like watching his grandchildren play. This week, inside the operating theatres of the 12 Air Force Hospital, the tri-services medical mission restored his sight—and with it, a part of the life he feared was gone forever.The region’s first mega advanced surgical eye camp, jointly conducted by specialists from the Army, Air Force, and Navy, concluded on Friday after three days of screenings and surgeries. Three hundred and seventy-four patients underwent sight-restoring procedures, with more than 100 surgeries performed on the opening day alone.Nicknamed the ‘Flying Hospital’ for its mobile, rapid-response surgical model, the initiative is designed to travel where advanced eye care is scarce. The camp in Gorakhpur drew patients from remote districts including Siddharthnagar, Azamgarh, Deoria, Maharajganj, and rural pockets of Gorakhpur. Some even crossed over from neighbouring Nepal. On the second day, 20 patients referred by the Maati Foundation were operated upon, extending the camp’s reach to some of the most vulnerable communities.The mission was led by Brigadier Sanjay Kumar Mishra, head of ophthalmology at Army Hospital Research and Referral (AHRR), Delhi. A native of Mau district, Brig Mishra has been spearheading similar outreach efforts since Dec 2024. Alongside Lt Col Ravi Chauhan of Base Hospital, New Delhi, and Maj Amrita Joshi of AHRR, he has conducted more than 1,530 surgeries across six previous camps in Dehradun, Jaipur, Bagdogra, Udhampur, Lakshadweep, and Bhuj.In Gorakhpur, the team was supported by Wg Cdr Shabreen Sultan and Surg Lt Cdr Vikas Adikenavar of 12 AFH, Wg Cdr Sridhara Reddy of 7 AFH Kanpur, and Wg Cdr Nithya Nair from Command Hospital, Bengaluru.“We are proud to be part of a hospital that flies to people rather than people reaching to hospitals. Team’s collective efforts have transformed many lives across the country. The military’s humanitarian service will continue as we have planned more camps,” said Brig Mishra.
