Below is an update from the Interplast District Chair. RCSJ contributed $1,000 to this cause (approved September Board meeting).
Kiribati is a sovereign state in Micronesia in the central Pacific Ocean.
- Kiribati’s population of just over 114,000 is scattered over an area larger than Australia – with 32 low lying atolls, one volcanic island and 3.5 million square kilometres of ocean
- Kiribati has limited surgical capacity and no local plastic surgeon which means that patients go without treatment or in some cases are referred overseas for treatment
- In June 2019 Interplast’s first Allied Health Training Program was conducted at the Tungaru Central Hospital, Tarawa, Kiribati, alongside a surgical program which conducted 22 surgeries for birth defects, burns injuries and trauma injuries for children and adults.
- These patients were provided with life-changing medical procedures they would otherwise not have been able to access, and at the same time allied health training and mentoring was delivered to local physiotherapists, physiotherapy assistants, prosthetics and orthotics staff
- Allied health treatment can be key to the patient’s recovery and ability to gain the best possible functionality post-surgery.
A key feature of all Interplast programs is our commitment to building sustainable medical outcomes for the communities we serve, as well as the individuals we are able to help.
With your support, during the 2020 program, volunteer physiotherapists/occupational therapists will work alongside the local physiotherapy team to build their skills, knowledge and confidence around providing rehabilitation treatment to patients including children, who have presented with burns injuries, lower and upper limb trauma and other surgical conditions related to reconstructive surgery.
The generous funding provided by the District: 9920 clubs will cover ground transport, insurances, training equipment and supplies, together with incidental costs and program coordination, monitoring and evaluation costs.
District 9920 has been an invaluable contributor to the work that Interplast is able to do in the Asia-Pacific region – we cannot thank you enough.
Together in Rotary Service,
Shefali Mehta QSM BEM JP
Rotary Club Auckland Harbourside President 2012-13
Rotary International District 9920
Interplast District Chair Interplast Australia & New Zealand
T (649) 308 3930│m 64 21941181│email: shefalim@xtra.co.nz;shefalim@pdl123.co.nz