An Australian volunteer specialist medical team on the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) will be working with their counterparts at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara next month.
The visit is funded by AusAID and arranged by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
The team of Dr Brian Costello (surgeon), Dr Anthony White (anaesthetist), Mr Simon Davies (audiologist) and Denise Whelan (nurse) will provide free consultations and treatment for Solomon Islanders between 4 – 14 February 2013.
Patients with ear and hearing problems, tonsil, throat and neck conditions, as well as nasal and sinus problems may be treated by the medical team.
Australian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, Matt Anderson said the annual ENT visit gives Solomon Islanders the chance for specialist consultations and treatment not available in country.
“They provide specialist advice and treatment not generally available in Honiara as well as provide local staff with a great training opportunity,” Mr Anderson said.
“They make a difference to the people they treat and operate on and they also boost the skills of the local surgeons, doctors and nurses at the hospital,” Mr Anderson said.
The ENT visit is one of several specialist medical visits made every year to Solomon Islands and is an important part of the Australian aid program to Solomon Islands. The Australian Government currently funds around 50 surgical team visits to Pacific Island countries every year to fill gaps in local medical services and provides on-the-job training to local medical staff.
For more information about the visit and screening to see the medical team, contact the surgical department at the National Referral Hospital.
Source: Press Release, Australian Aid