Get involved

During 2021, RACS Global Health is running a series of free webinars across different specialties featuring Australian, New Zealand, and Asia-Pacific clinicians. These are designed to support ongoing learning and engagement across the Asia-Pacific, particularly during a period where COVID-19 is making in-person engagement more difficult. All are welcome to join.

Currently, there are webinars planned in the areas of Orthopaedics, Cardiothoracic, Hospital Management, Vascular Surgery, ENT, Paediatrics, and Urology.

To register, click on the links within the program below.

RACS Global Health Webinar Series - June to August (PDF 415.9KB) (PDF 415.9KB) (PDF 415.9KB)

RACS Global Health Webinar Series - October to December (PDF 124.41KB)

Fellows and other Australian or New Zealand registered health professionals can volunteer their time and expertise to support Global Health programs in countries across the Asia-Pacific region. 

Short-term specialist visits - Short-term specialist visits are of one to two weeks duration and cover a range of specialties. Team composition and size vary across visits and are determined by the needs and priorities of Ministries of Health in each country and the design and objectives of each specific Global Health program.

Generally, teams include surgeons, anaesthetists, and theatre nurses, who volunteer their time and skills to deliver much-needed surgical care in the host country. In addition to the clinical work,  visiting specialist teams also play a large role in building local surgical capacity by training and mentoring local health staff through on-the-job and more formal training clinics and courses.

Visiting teams are provided with equipment and medical supplies for treating patients and training medical staff in-country, as required by the specific program. 

Qualifications required to participate - RACS Global Health specialist medical volunteers are medical professionals who are fully qualified and registered to practice in Australia and New Zealand. RACS has appointed a specialty coordinator for each of the major specialties who assess the appropriateness of applicants' qualifications and their technical suitability to participate in Global Health programs. Specialty coordinators also provide specialist advice to volunteer teams, prior to departure, about the country the team is being deployed to and the clinical context they will be working on arrival.

Safety and Security issues - RACS Global Health specialist medical volunteers are provided with 24/7 security and medical support by International SOS during their overseas deployment and are covered by a comprehensive travel insurance policy.

RACS has an emergency evacuation plan in place for all programs and International SOS will continue to monitor the security situation and any evolving threats during the deployment period and communicate with our staff, volunteers, and the RACS Global Health management team to provide advice and support.

Applying to participate - RACS is a child-safe organisation. Our recruitment and selection processes for volunteers include reference checks and National Criminal History Checks.  If you are interested in volunteering with any of the RACS Global Health programs, please send an email to volunteer@surgeons.org.

Find out more - For more information on volunteering, selection and deployment please read the RACS Global Health Deployment Guidebook (PDF 9.33MB) (PDF 9.33MB).

The newly established Global Health Section brings together interested  Fellows, clinicians, and health and  development partners to connect with each other and the work of RACS Global Health. The Section provides an opportunity to support the objectives of the RACS Global Health Strategic Plan, through participation in governance processes and decision-making groups such as the Global Health Programs Steering Group and the selection and placement of international scholars in Australia, for example. 

The establishment of the Section is broadening RACS Global Health’s engagement with Fellows and clinical partners across the Asia-Pacific region.  It provides a forum for surgeons and other professionals engaged in Global Health to share their knowledge, skills and experience and collaborate on programs and joint advocacy campaigns. 

To enquire or register for membership of the Section, please email Madeline Golangco (global.health.section@surgeons.org) with your full name and specialty.

We welcome any interested specialists or development practitioners  to join and participate.