ECO Care Equity in the Asia-Pacific Conference

Focused on emergency, critical and operative (ECO) care, this conference brought together the Pacific Island Surgeons Association (PISA), the Global Alliance for Surgical Obstetrics, Trauma and Anaesthesia Care (G4 Alliance), and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS), along with other organisations, to discuss strengthening of ECO care systems in the Asia-Pacific region in an era of climate change.

With over 120 in-person participants and additional virtual attendees, the conference welcomed a diverse group of healthcare professionals including surgeons, anaesthetists, obstetricians, nurses, midwives, trainees, and students from across the Pacific Islands, PNG, Timor-Leste, Pakistan, USA, Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, and Ghana.

Key highlights included:
- High-level engagement from Dr Saia Piukala (WHO Regional Director), Dr Rajeev Patel (PISA President), Dr Neil Wetzig (G4 Alliance President), Fijian Health Minister, Dr Ratu Atonio Rabici - Lalabalavu Dr Owen Ung (RACS President), and Dr Ray Sacks (RACS Vice-President)
- Inspiring presentations from Pacific clinicians on local health systems and challenges
- A strong focus on strengthening health systems in the face of climate change, resource constraints, and evolving population needs.

We thank everyone who attended in person and online for attending this inspiring event.

See below photos from this event. We can't wait to share more with you. 

   

  

 

  Pacific Island nations face escalating health risks due to climate change, including:

• rising disease burden from extreme weather and displacement
• fragile health infrastructure and workforce shortages
• limited access to surgical care, especially for NCDs
• fragmented emergency and surgical systems
• under-implemented national surgical, obstetric and anaesthesia plans (NSOAPs) and reliance on donor funding.

This meeting was positioned as a strategic intervention to catalyse regional collaboration and resilience.

The event gathered leaders in surgical, obstetric anaesthesia, and emergency and critical care; public health; and climate resilience to:

• advance the World Health Organisation (WHO) ECO Care Continuum in the Pacific
• showcase country-level progress on NSOAPs
• address gender equity, AI, antimicrobial resistance, and oncology
• strengthen advocacy, financing, and regional partnerships.