Antonio (Tony) C Oposa

Antonio (Tony) C Oposa HON FRACS
1 April 1924 - 26 December 2015

Antonio (Tony) C Oposa was an Honorary Fellow of our College from The Republic of the Philippines.

He was born on 1 April 1924 and died 26 December 2015. He graduated from The University of the Philippines in 1951 and received further training with Dr Benson Roe at UCSF where he encountered early heart transplantation. Despite an invitation to remain in USA, he found that the pull of his country to be very strong and ensured his return home, where his mark was clearly made.

Tony was an exceptional person, with a love for surgery and an admiration of good surgical technique. He was not only dedicated to the care of his patients but also gave great support to their families. He was generous to a fault. He really lived the joy of life after surgery together with sharing the good times with his friends and colleagues. He was flamboyant and extrovert but sincere and always friendly. He was a sporting devotee and played tennis and golf and he continued swimming until the end of his life.

A proud Filipino surgeon, Tony was deeply interested in and committed to improving the standards of surgical care and was a charismatic leader amongst his peers .He held leadership positions in all surgical and most professional organisations in the Philippines - The Philippine College of Surgeons, Philippine Board of Surgery, Philippine Medical Association etc. He was a highly regarded lecturer who delivered nearly all named medical lectures in his country.

Tony was a founding member and later, a President of the Association of Surgeons of South East Asia, now known as Asian Surgical Association. He was a great friend to surgeons outside his country and kept in touch with many leaders of the American College of Surgeons and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Whenever he visited hospitals abroad, he made sure to see his surgical friends operating and made interesting comments to residents.

His death leaves a considerable gap in surgical affairs in Asia, the Pacific and Australasian regions, where he kept the Flame alive until his time was up.

Our condolences are conveyed to his wife Bella and family.

Tom Reeve AC CBE FRACS and Raj Nambiar HON FRACS

While RACS accepts and reproduces obituaries provided, we cannot ensure the accuracy of the information provided and therefore take no responsibility for any inaccuracies or omissions that may occur.