Pacific Island Countries

The Pacific Island countries have a small surgical workforce and there is only one fully qualified plastic surgeon in the region. The need to provide access to reconstructive surgery for patients in the region remains a priority.

This year, the AusAID funded Pacific Islands Project managed by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons provided funding for Interplast teams to Samoa, Fiji Kiribati, the Solomon Islands and Tonga. In total 262 operations were performed on patients who would otherwise have not been able to access treatment. A range of conditions were seen including congenital hand deformities, cleft lips and palates, hand injuries and debilitating burn contractures. Training was also provided to local medical and nursing staff, and where possible, local doctors undertaking the Master of Surgery program at the Fiji School of Medicine returned to their home country to participate and work along side the Interplast surgeons.

An additional program to Taveuni in Fiji was also delivered with funding from Rotary. This program provided access to cleft lip and palate surgery for patients from some of Fiji’s most remote and disadvantaged Islands who are unable to travel to the main Island for treatment.