HAND TEAM VISIT TO VIETNAM – NOVEMBER 2024

Dr Peter Scougall and his team have just returned from their latest teaching trip to Vietnam. This is a long standing project of our club; we generally assist in travel arrangements and cover part of the cost of the trip – this year we have contributed approx $9000 of which 50% came from the surplus from the 2 Soiree events held in 2022 and 2023. Dr Scougall has sent the attached report:

Vietnam draft summary for Rotary:

Thanks for sponsoring our trip last week, which went well. Particular thanks to Blair Leslie who was very helpful with travel / visas etc. (with Kate Vasiliou at Mosman travel).

A one week visit to Hue Central Hospital. It is the Hospital’s 130th birthday this year. I understand they are planning for expansions to become a 6,000 bed hospital (currently 4,000).

Our team:

Hand Surgeons:  Damian Ryan, Richard Lawson, Xuan Ye, Matthew White and me (all Sydney based. Xuan also treats shoulders and helped with the shoulder program.

                              Prof. Jagdeep Nanchahal, University of Oxford, England.

Hand Therapists:  Rosemary Prosser (Sydney), Cate Menzies (Wollongong and South Coast).

Shoulder surgeon:  David Lieu (Western Sydeney).

Shoulder Therapist:  Michael Pasqualin (Western Sydney).

The course was organised by Dr Phu, now the Director of Hands and Plastics at the Hospital.

This visit was more complicated than previous years, as we ran multiple teaching seminars, which often coincided with our clinical commitments. Difficult to organise, but we had a large enough team to allow for that.

Hand and wrist sessions:  Trauma review course/ soft tissue cover for registrars.

                                              Microsurgery workshops using konjac noodles (an excellent 

                                                   teaching model and new addition this year) and chicken legs.

                                              Wrist arthroscopy (also a new addition)

                                              Research and difficult case discussion

Shoulder registrar and surgeon courses.

Hand Therapy / Rehabilitation course.

We ran a teaching clinic on Monday morning, when we saw more than 30 patients. The focus this week was more on teaching, rather than clinical work.

The hand team operated for 2.5 days (x2 operating theatres). The shoulder team operated for 1.5 days.

Approximately 120 participants joined the course (approx. 70 from out of town and 50 local). They were keen, involved and asked very interesting, well informed questions. They had good technical skills, particularly in the microsurgery workshop, which they really enjoyed.

At the end of the course we were able to distribute 20 sets of microsurgery instruments to surgeons from different areas, thanks to the generosity of our donors (Mosman Rotary, Orthopaedic Outreach, Australian Hand Surgery Society and St Lukes Hospital, Kings Cross).

The sets were arranged via Richard Appleyard, Director of the Orthopaedic Lab at Macquarie Hospital.

Most of us travelled on Saturday 26/10, but 3 planned to travel on Sunday (Richard, David and Michael). Unfortunately, Hue airport was closed on Sunday due to a typhoon, so they needed to overnight in Ho Chi Minh City and arrived around midday on Monday. 

A successful course. The program has evolved to accommodate their changing needs. We are now focussing on helping with teaching, introducing subspecialty skills (including arthroscopy) and helping with more research involvement (for presentations at international meetings and publications in international medical journals).

Thanks again for your ongoing support.

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CLUB FORUM - MONDAY 11TH NOVEMBER 2024

Sat Nov 9 , 2024
Following Wednesday’s Board Meeting there will be an update; this will include details of a proposal to increase the club’s digital visibility by new member David Fergusson. This will include action being undertaken by David to update and enhance the club’s website.