2024 | Volume 25 | Issue 5
Professor Owen Ung with participants
What does it take to transform healthcare in remote, under-served regions where specialist services are scarce, and patients often face impossible choices about their health? For more than 25 years, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) has been answering that question through its Global Health program, making an indelible impact in the Indo-Pacific region. But as the program looks ahead to the next five years, the challenge of staying responsive to evolving needs has never been greater.
At a recent strategic planning meeting in Melbourne, RACS Fellows and clinicians gathered to chart the course of the future of Global Health. Together, they embarked on a powerful reflection on the program’s past successes, and how to build on them to meet the changing realities of healthcare in the Pacific and beyond. The stakes are high—millions of lives depend on the sustained impact of these partnerships.
Since its launch in 1995, the RACS Global Health program has assisted Indo-Pacific clinical partners by deploying specialist surgical teams including consultant surgeons, anaesthetists and theatre nurses to provide consultations and surgical procedures to thousands of patients.
The RACS program has also provided clinical training, mentoring and educational support for clinicians across 13 countries enabling them to increase their surgical knowledge, skills and confidence. Increasing the capacity of local clinicians strengthens health systems and the quality of health care provided through that system to patients.
The power of partnership
RACS Global Health works in close collaboration with Indo-Pacific Ministries of Health and hospital teams. Through close partnerships with local governments and healthcare providers, the program, ensures the efforts are aligned with local priorities.
RACS is able to ensure that its Global Health program aligns with the clinical priorities of our partners in the region. The program is underpinned by a strategic plan that sets a clear direction of achievable and measurable goals and objectives. RACS is currently developing a new strategic plan to guide the program over the next five years.
A reflection on progress
The strategic planning meeting was a time to reflect on the achievements and think about what lies ahead. Dr Silina Motofaga, from the Pacific Community (SPC), spoke about the program’s impact, recounting how RACS surgical teams had been instrumental in filling a critical gap in the Pacific’s healthcare landscape.
“The visiting teams fill a critical gap,” Dr Motofaga said. “Before RACS involvement many patients would have to travel overseas for treatment, which is not always feasible for many families in the Pacific. It’s not just about addressing immediate issues but also about helping our healthcare professionals build capacity.”
For Dr Rooney Jagilly, a surgeon from the Solomon Islands, the benefits of the RACS Global Health program are clear.
“The program has saved countless lives by providing access to specialised care that would otherwise be unattainable,” he said. “The access to healthcare can make a life-or-death difference in remote regions.”
Dr Rooney Jagilly
Forging connections for lasting impact
The relationships that have developed between RACS Global Health and their Indo-Pacific counterparts have become invaluable.
“When I encounter a complex case, I can easily reach out to a colleague on email or WhatsApp for remote advice,” Dr Jagilly said. This ability to tap into a network of expertise, even from afar, has fostered lasting connections between clinicians that go beyond the surgical theatre.
But still more needs to be done. As Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete, President of the Pacific Islands Surgical Association (PISA), emphasised, the next phase of collaboration should focus on building the region’s own institutional capacities.
“It is essential to develop strategies for transferring some clinical services to local entities as they become capable of managing them independently,” Dr Waqainabete said. This would ensure sustainability and empower regional professionals to lead their own healthcare systems into the future.
The way forward: strategic collaboration
The new strategic plan that RACS is crafting will be shaped by lessons learned from years of collaboration. Dr Waqainabete suggested that the focus should expand beyond just surgical interventions to include more mentorship, professional development, and strengthening of regional organisations like PISA. He also stressed the need for RACS to continue adapting to new challenges—such as the impact of COVID-19 and funding uncertainties—by ensuring resources are used effectively and are tailored to each country’s specific needs.
Dr Ana Akuala, Medical Superintendent of Vaiola Hospital in Tonga and Chair of the Pacific Directors of Clinical Services, echoed the same sentiment, highlighting the critical need to stay aligned with local clinical priorities. RACS success depends on collaborating and listening closely with regional partners, as Dr. Akuala’s update on priorities from the recent Pacific Directors of Clinical Services meeting underscored.
Looking to the future
As the RACS Global Health program moves forward, the partnerships that have been developed over the past 25 years will continue to be its greatest asset. By continuing to work closely with Ministries of Health, regional organisations, universities, and healthcare providers, RACS will ensure that its interventions are sustainable and responsive to the needs of the Pacific.
With strategic collaboration and ongoing investment in local clinical capacity, RACS will continue to contribute to positive and lasting change in the region.
