Interplast to carry out reconstructive surgery in Tonga [1]
Friday, January 27, 2017 - 18:24
A medical team from Interplast Australia and New Zealand will be working at Vaiola Hospital on February 16-23 to carry out plastic and reconstructive surgery as well as training.
Led by Dr David Morgan the team includes two plastic surgeons, two anaesthetists, two nurses and one physiotherapist, who are coming under an Australian Aid supported program.
Dr Kolini Vaea at Vaiola Hospital stated that the medical team will conduct a consultation clinic on Thursday, February 16 at 1:30pm at the outpatient’s clinic at Vaiola. Plastic and reconstructive surgery will be performed from February 16-22 at the hospital (excluding weekend).
Patients with conditions including cleft lip and palate, scarring from burns, hand injuries and tumours are urged to contact the Surgical Unit at the Vaiola Hospital for an appointment. However, patients with common skin diseases or cosmetic conditions will be excluded from this consultation.
Interplast medical teams, funded by the Australian Government and Rotary Clubs in Australia and New Zealand, have been visiting Tonga since 1983 providing free surgical intervention programs relieving people of disability.
To date, 2663 consultations and 1561 life changing procedures have been carried out in Tonga.
The 2017 program will be the 38th Interplast visit to Tonga funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT’s), Australia NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) and Interplast.