Suva, Fiji, September 2023
In September the Trust was able to help support the Pacific Island Orthopaedic Association with their training module held at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva. CWM is a big bustling hospital and the local team led by Dr Pauliasi Bauleka do a fantastic job day in and day out at the main tertiary hospital for Fiji. Whilst David Bartle assisted with the examinations for the PIOA candidates, Vaughan Poutawera (Tauranga), Richard Cowley (Christchurch) and Nick Keddell (Registrar) helped with daily ward rounds, clinics and acute operating lists. Many thanks to theatre nurse Mel Goodwin and anaesthetist Caroline Zhou from Tauranga who also joined us for the vist. The days were filled with fascinating cases of complex and often delayed post-trauma presentations. The highlight might have been the prison inmate who presented with a four month old injury comprising a displaced midshaft radius fracture with chronic dislocations of the ulno-trochlear, radio-capitellar, and distal radio-ulnar joints with an associated radial nerve palsy. Fun times! Richard found time to assist Dr Biribo, the Fijian neurosurgeon with some spine surgery. At the end of the two weeks we found time to share a little kava with our gracious Fijian hosts.
Congratulations to Dr Naseri Aitaoto and Clay Siosi who passed their PIOA fellowship exams. Their educational journey will continue but the skills and knowledge they have now mastered will help immensely with the provision of improved orthopaedic care in Pago and Solomon Islands.
