Access to safe, affordable surgery seen as vital

National

ACCESS to safe and affordable surgery and anaesthesia in the country is important, says Medical Society of PNG president Professor Nakapi Tefuarani.
The society is holding its annual medical symposium in Port Moresby with the theme “Access to safe and affordable surgery and anaesthesia”.
Tefuarani said the theme was timely and important to PNG.
“The scientific papers presented in this symposium will certainly guide the Surgical Society, the Society of Anaesthesia and Medical Society of Papua New Guinea to formulate resolutions and recommendations on the theme,” he said.
“These recommendations and resolutions will then be forwarded to the Department of Health and Ministry of Health that will formulate policies to be implemented according to National Health Plan and budget.”
Tefuarani thanked the organising committee, the medical fraternity and sponsors for making the event possible.
Organising committee chairman Dr Osborne Liko said eight speakers from overseas would be presenting papers based on the theme. They are University of Melbourne professor for surgery David Watters, Harvard Medical School assistant professor of Otolaryngology, Global Health and Social Medicine Dr Mark Shrime, Orthopaedic Surgeon and president of the Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeon Prof John Batten, Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Prof David Scott, St Vincent’s Hospital anaesthesia and acute pain medicine director Prof Stephen Robson, Tonga chief surgeon Dr Lord Viliami Tangi, Honorary professor of surgery (cardiac) and consultant cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon, Malaysia Dr Saw Huat and senior anaesthetist at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and St George Hospital Dr Michael Cooper.