25 March 2014
AUSTRALIAN UROLOGY TEAM ENDS SUCCESSFUL VISIT TO SOLOMON ISLANDS
A 12-day visit to the National Referral Hospital by an Australian urology specialist team has been a great success with the team seeing over 40 Solomon Island patients, including 18 surgical operations mainly helping women with treatments to help improve their quality of life.
The team was based at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara, where they provided life changing surgery and diagnosis to patients with urological conditions.
The team also worked with in-country medical personnel to assist further development of local skills.
The visit was carried out under the Pacific Islands Program, funded by the Australian Government and managed by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
The visiting team included surgeons Dr Alex Cato and Dr Kathryn Rzetelski-West, anaesthetist David Daly, nurses Catherine Grenville and Christy Thompson and physiotherapist Tamara Wraith.
Team Leader Dr Alex Cato has been leading medical teams to the Solomon Islands for the past 10 years and said the cases dealt with during this visit are more serious and have required more major operations than during previous visits.
Australian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands Andrew Byrne, who met the team in Honiara, said Australian medical teams have been visiting the Solomon Islands for many years to provide free medical consultations and surgery to help people.
“The medical team gives Solomon Islanders the chance for specialist medical consultations and treatment not readily available in the Solomon Islands. Not only do they make a difference to the people they treat and operate on, they also boost the skills of local doctors and nurses at the hospital, which leaves a lasting legacy.
“The visit by the medical team is one of several specialist medical visits made every year to Solomon Islands and is a very important part of Australia’s ongoing assistance to the people and Government of Solomon Islands.”
The Australian Government funds around 50 surgical teams to visit Pacific Island countries every year.
The next visit will be a general surgical visit to Helena Goldie Hospital and Gizo Hospital from 11 to 23 April.