5-year-old boy undergoes plastic surgery

National, Normal

A FIVE-year-old boy burnt in a house in Eastern Highlands has taken another huge step on the road to full recovery, thanks to a team of plastic surgeons who visited Madang recently.
Alfie Tika from Henganofi, Eastern Highlands, had stared death in the face and stepped forward as a survivor in more ways than one. 
Alfie’s father, Tom said it had been a parent’s worst nightmare that unfolded before him last November when his family’s home caught fire.
Alfie was alone and asleep at the time the fire started.
He emerged with severe burns to his face and head, 40% of his upper body, and to his finger-tips.
It was reported that Alfie had survived but it was 10 months before he could receive proper treatment for his wounds.
His story was an inspiration for the team of specialist medics from interplast Australia-New Zealand.
The Australian government aid agency AusAid funds the health education and clinical service (HECS) programme in PNG.
Under the HECS programme, specialist medical teams were deployed to PNG to perform surgery and to transfer skills to their local counterparts.
“The need for specialist medical attention in this field is a very real one,” head of AusAid, Stephanie Copus-Campbell, said.
Interplast teams have been travelling to PNG annually since 1985, with the specialist surgeons recognising an increasing demand.
“Over the years, I have seen larger and larger numbers of cases of the debilitating injuries,” interplast team leader, Simon Donahoe said.
“Burns trauma among infants really requires dedicated local attention and that’s why we keep coming back – there is a need,” he said.
It is not just patients and their families who benefit from these programmes.
“We have been fortunate to be able to train up local, capable surgeons to handle these sorts of procedures for the long term in PNG.
“It is one of the beauties of this trip that we have two Papua New Guinean surgeons on the team and we also have a PNG anesthetic trainee, so that’s been very good.
“We also have on the team a nurse, Christine Hunter, whose role back home is as a professional theatre nurse educator. She’s been very useful in helping the local nurses with their processes,” he said.
PNG surgeons Dr John Maihua and Dr Morath Maire are now leading the way in performing such procedures in PNG thanks to Donahoe’s hands-on approach.