Aussie News - Issue 23 - December 2006
Australian Surgeon, Professor Paddy Dewan performs operations on children in Mauritius
Melbourne based surgeon Professor Paddy Dewan and his very capable medical team visited Mauritius this month to carry out a series of difficult operations on young children at Dr Jeetoo Hospital in Port Louis.
Pictured here from left is Dr Ken Brownhill
(Pediatric Anaesthetist), H.E. Mr Ian
McConville, Yasmina Hosanoo (Public
Affairs Officer, Australian High
Commission), Ms Caron Oakely and
Professor Paddy Dewan in full ‘theatre’
gear. This was a memorable experience
for Ian and Yasmina who were able to
witness the wonderful if complex surgical
work undertaken by the team at first hand.
One would have to say the experience is
not for the “faint hearted” - no further
explanation will be given!!
The team, which also includes Dr Ken Brownhill and Australian Registered Nurse Caron Oakely, are on their seventh visit to Mauritius. Paddy and his team are marvellous contributors to the bilateral relationship who, whilst being world leaders in their field of paediatric surgery, are doing an enormous amount to improve the lives of numbers of young children in Mauritius.
The group are from the Australian non-profit NGO, Kind Cuts for Kids Foundation who have operated in a number of other countries globally, including in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. On this visit, Paddy and his team were ably supported by the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life and The Society for Children Inoperable in Mauritius to offer paediatric service training for urology/surgery and anaesthesia to Mauritian Doctors and nurses. The project also allows for numbers of children to undergo operations which are usually not possible in Mauritius.
During their visit, the team performed a total of 58 operations on children suffering from urological congenital problems. The children benefited from free surgical interventions which would have normally cost millions of rupees if they had to be performed overseas. The team are expected to return to Mauritius at the end of next year to carry out more operations. On Monday 27 November 2006, the Minister of Health and Quality of Life, Hon. Satish Faugoo and the Australian High Commissioner, H.E. Mr Ian McConville visited children who were operated by Professor Paddy Dewan and his team at the paediatric ward of Dr Jeetoo Hospital.