Last Update: 20/05/2013 13:20
The College's Pacific Islands Program
provides specialist surgical and medical services, education and
training to local surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and allied health
workers in 11 Pacific countries.
News
Dr Basil Leodoro (Vanuatu) recently spoke about
the future of Paediatric Surgery in Vanuatu
on Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program. A past recipient of
the College's International Travel Grant and the 2013 recipient of
the
Rowan Nicks Pacific Islands Scholarship (deferred), Dr
Leodoro also recently gave a presentation at the ASC International Forum
about some of the challenges of sustaining a specialised surgical
service in a small Pacific Island nation.
The College acknowledges the generous support of Dr John Kearney
and Mrs Alison Kearney who have provided a scholarship to support
Dr Padwick Gallen (Micronesia) to complete three years of study in
Ophthalmology at the Pacific Eye Institute in Suva, Fiji.
What we do
The Pacific Islands Program works in partnership with Ministries
of Health and hospitals in 11 Pacific countries to support
specialist clinical services, education, training and capacity
development and promote international cooperation and exchange.
The following countries are included in the program: the Cook
Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Nauru,
Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Specialist Medical and Surgical Services
Through the Pacific Islands Program visiting clinical teams
provide services across 9 surgical and 10 medical specialties. A
key priority of our teams is to provide clinical mentoring and
education to local medical staff to strengthen the capacity of
local health services.
Since 1995 volunteers have provided over 69,000 patients with
specialist consultation and non-surgical treatment and advice, and
over 18,000 patients have been provided with life-changing surgical
procedures through the program.
Details of upcoming visits can be found in the international visit
schedule.
Education and Training
An important priority of the Pacific Islands Program is the
provision of training courses, workshops, conferences and training
attachments for surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and other health
professionals working in the region.
The program is supporting education and training in the region
by delivering:
- Training courses and workshops
- Train-the-trainer courses
- Support for participants to attend courses, including
accommodation and international travel where courses are
unavailable in a participant's home country
Education and training activities supported by the program
include:
International Scholarships
The Rowan Nicks Pacific Islands Scholarship is offered annually
to surgeons who are citizens of the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati,
Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Papua New
Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu or Vanuatu. The Rowan
Nicks Scholarships are the most prestigious of the College's
International Awards and are directed at surgeons who are destined
to become leaders in their home countries. Please see the
Rowan Nicks Scholarship page for application details.
Fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons who
volunteer with the Pacific Islands Program are also able to
nominate local surgeons or other health professionals to receive
the
Surgeons International Award.
The College acknowledges the generous support of Dr John Kearney
and Mrs Alison Kearney who have provided a scholarship to support
Dr Padwick Gallen (Micronesia) to complete an additional three
years of study in Ophthalmology at the Pacific Eye Institute in
Suva, Fiji.
Courses
Workshops
- Burns management workshops
- Dermatology workshops
- ENT nurse training workshops
- Ponseti workshops
Conferences
About Us
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons has provided
specialist clinical services, education and capacity development to
the Western Pacific region through the Pacific Islands Program
since 1995. The program is supported by AusAID and works in
partnership with national counterparts including health
professionals and hospitals to assist Pacific Ministries of Health
to improve the health of their populations.
Australian Aid
The Pacific Islands Program is funded by AusAID and
managed by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
Who we
work with
Pacific Ministries of Health and
Hospitals
The program collaborates closely with individual Ministries of
Health and hospitals to ensure services provided
support national health priorities and plans for workforce
development.
Strengthening Specialised Clinical Services in the
Pacific (SSCSiP)
Strengthening Specialised Clinical Services in the
Pacific (SSCSiP) is a Fiji based AusAID-funded initiative
created to support Pacific nations to plan for, access, host
and evaluate specialised clinical services; and strengthen health
worker skills, capacity and capability to meet clinical service
needs.
The College works closely with SSCSiP to support the effective
delivery of services in the region. Close consultation with the
SSCSiP is integral to ensuring that services delivered through the
Pacific Islands Program support individual Ministry of Health plans
for development and complement services offered by other providers
in the region.
Pacific Islands Surgeons Association
The
Pacific Islands Surgeons Association (PISA) was formed in
Rarotonga in 2003 and is made up of professional surgeons from
Fiji, Cook Islands, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Federated States of
Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
The aim of the association is to promote and represent the practice
of surgery, and surgeons, in the Pacific region.
Laloma Foundation
The Program also supports the work of the Laloma Foundation in
the Solomon Islands who work to produce sustainable research
programs in the Solomon Islands, share clinical and teaching
resources through the delivery of specialist support programs and
to promote surgical training for basic health care in developing
countries.
Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Nurse Training
Fund
In conjunction with the AusAID-funded ENT clinical visits
delivered under the Pacific Islands Program, annual nurse training
workshops have been conducted in Vanuatu since 2002. The Vanuatu
ENT Nurse Training Fund was established by Dr Perry Burstin in 2005
to support the continued education and training needs of Ni-van ENT
nurse practitioners. The workshops aim
to strengthen nurses skills leading to improved
patient triage and management of surgical patients. The program is
currently working to support a strong cohort of skilled nurses from
Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. Suitable candidates from other
Pacific nations are also welcome to apply.
Clinical Visit Partners
The Pacific Islands Program works with the following partners to
deliver clinical visits:
Support Us
Our International Development Program provides vital clinical
services, training and education to countries in need in our
region. Your donation helps support our volunteer medical teams to
continue their valuable and life-changing work.
To donate to the Pacific Islands Program:
• Please complete and return a donation
form [PDF 151KB] to the International Projects Department
• Call 1800 051 033 (toll free within Australia) or +61 3 9249
1211 (from overseas).
Our Partners and
Supporters
List of Partners and Supporters - Updated February 2013 [PDF 152
KB]
Contact
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
College of Surgeons' Gardens
250-290 Spring Street
East Melbourne VIC 3002 Australia
Fax: +61 3 9249 1236
Project Director - Dr Kiki Maoate FRACS
Program Officer - Kate Newall
Email: kate.newall@surgeons.org
Administration Officer - Priscilla Matters
Telephone: +61 3 9249 1234
Email: priscilla.matters@surgeons.org
Program Manager - Lito De Silva
Telephone: +61 3 9249 1233
Email: lito.desilva@surgeons.org
External Affairs Director - Daliah Moss
Telephone: +61 3 9249 1276
Email: daliah.moss@surgeons.org