A multi-national surgical team is conducting paediatric surgery in Fiji this week as part of an Australian government funded project to bring medical experts to the region.
The team of specialists from Australia, New Zealand and Fiji will complete around 30 operations on children of all ages during the week-long visit which finishes this Sunday. The visits occur regularly and are coordinated under the Pacific Islands Project, an AusAID-funded initiative.
One of the members of the team is Dr Alex Auldist who is normally based at the Royal Children's Hospital at Parkville in Melbourne.
'I feel very lucky to be able to come and help the children of Fiji. It's been a great privilege and there's nothing like the smile of the children here. They are just so uncomplaining.'
Fiji's only paediatric surgeon, Dr Jitoko Cama, who is originally from Moce Island, Lau, in Fiji, is also part of the surgical team. Dr Cama, who trained at the Fiji School of Medicine, is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
'We are very lucky to have such a fine surgical team here in Fiji. Working in isolation is very difficult and having the team here provides an experienced second opinion which is invaluable,' Dr Cama said.
A feature of the visits is that the volunteers who make up the teams typically provide a continuity of support and ongoing mentorship to their Pacific counterparts, often returning to the host hospital several times and maintaining regular communication between visits.
Over the past 12 months a total of 554 consultations were held and 195 surgical procedures performed by visiting surgical teams funded by the Australian aid program and arranged by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
More information
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Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (external website)