It is always a pleasure to work with the amazing team at the Rarotonga Hospital in the Cook Islands, and this was especially the case during the week 28th May to 1st June 2018 during the Autumn Health Specialist Visit. During this week over a hundred people were seen in the clinic with 11 procedures performed, and 19 new patients were referred or re-referred to New Zealand for further orthopaedic care. The last time I had visited the Cook Islands was in 2016 and it was great to see how the surgical team in the Cook Islands had continued to develop and provide a great service. The Orthopacifix Charitable Trust wish to shift our focus away from provision and more towards facilitation and advocacy. During this visit we looked at ways we can better facilitate ongoing orthopaedic operations with affordable high quality equipment and how we can better advocate for patients to receive elective health care in New Zealand.
