MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Patterson
DOCUMENTARY ON THE WORK OF VOLUNTEER PLASTIC SURGEONS TO AIR TONIGHT
The story of Interplast Australia and its life-changing plastic-surgery in
developing countries is told in
Out of the Shadows, a documentary screening on SBS-TV tonight, Friday 27 October, 2000 at 8:30 pm.
Filmed with the assistance of the Australian Government's overseas aid
agency, AusAID, Out of the Shadowstells the moving story of how
Interplast has changed the lives of children and young people living with severe
disfigurement in the Philippines.
Senator Kay Patterson, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign
Affairs, attended last week's pre-screening of Out of the Shadows at the
Sydney Children's Hospital and described the documentary as powerfully
uplifting.
"In Australia, children born with cleft lips, cleft palates and clubfeet are
treated at a very early age," Senator Patterson said. "Such treatment occurs as a matter of course. But in developing countries, such treatment is often not available. And when it is, often it is only for the very wealthy.
"But with the support of AusAID, Australian health professionals are tackling
this problem. Since 1983, 260 teams of volunteer plastic surgeons, anaesthetists, and nurses from Interplast Australia have operated on 11,000 patients in Pacific and Asian countries.
AusAID contributed $64,000 to Interplast in 1999-2000.
Dr Michael McGlynn, an Interplast volunteer and plastic surgeon at Sydney
Children's Hospital who appears in Out of the Shadows, says "Many of the
patients I see need surgery to correct cleft lips and palates, congenital deformities, burns and hand injuries. Most of the surgery is on children. With
our help they can rejoin life in their communities without fear of rejection and
ridicule."
Through the Government's overseas aid program, Australians are making a
difference to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the Asia-Pacific
region. In 2000 - 2001 AusAID will provide an estimated $170 million in direct
health assistance to developing countries.
Interviews with Dr McGlynn can be arranged by contacting Catherine Boer.
Further information:
Catherine Boer (Sydney Children's Hospital)
02 9382 3571 / 0411 730 842
Louise Ahern (Senator Patterson's office)
02 6277 3800 / 0409 034 403
Greg Clough (AusAID)
02 6206 4220 / 0417 683 126