Interplast team putting smiles on patients’ faces

By JAMES GUMUNO
ABOUT 40 people from the Highlands region with deformities and burns on their bodies were operated on by an Interplast team from Australia.
Team leader and specialist plastic surgeon Dr Mark Strahan told The National at the Mt Hagen Provincial Hospital yesterday that all the operations were successful and they were satisfied with their work during the week.
Dr Strahan said they “fixed” children with deformities and scared by burns, adding that eight patients were referred to the Port Moresby General Hospital and overseas for major surgeries.
He said it was “a very challenging task” for his team, but they were happy to see smiles on the faces of their patients after the operations.
He said more than 3000 people had been operated on by Interplast in Port Moresby, Lae, Mt Hagen and Rabaul over the years.
The Interplast volunteers, he said, loved to serve people who could not afford to have such services overseas.
Dr Strahan said that he was assisted by another surgeon, Dr Robert Gates, anaesthetists Moira Rush and Suzy Cook and two pre-operative nurses Gil Suter and Kay Suter.
Dr Akule Danlop, a trainee plastic and reconstructive surgeon based at the Port Moresby General Hospital, accompanied the team to Mt Hagen.
The team’s trip was funded by Australia Overseas Foreign Aid component, Rotary International and individual contributions from Australians.
Dr Strahan said they would come back next year.