RACS Global Health Strategic Plan 2017-2021
Vision The College has been, for many years, a passionate supporter of the need to improve access to emergency surgery and has shown leadership in building surgical development regionally and all across the world Professor Brendan Murphy, Chief Medical Officer Department of Health, Australian Government That safe surgical and anaesthetic care is available and accessible to everyone Mission To advocate for and provide leadership in global surgery To support capacity building and leadership development in the Asia-Pacific region To collaborate with international surgical bodies and other health and government organisations
Context The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) is a non-profit organisation training surgeons and maintaining surgical standards in Australia and New Zealand. The primary purpose of the College is to provide education, training and research in the practice of surgery and be a unifying force for surgery in the region. Under the banner of the College, RACS Global Health facilitates medical education and clinical support in developing countries in the Asia-Pacific to improve health outcomes for people in those communities. Surgically treatable diseases and injuries are among the top 15 causes of disability, yet 5 billion of the world s population do not have access to emergency and essential surgical care, and the poorest third of the world s population receive only 6% of all surgical operations. Emergency and essential surgery are vital components of universal health coverage. Timely access to surgical care saves lives, reduces disability and can correct deformity.treatment of many surgical conditions do not necessarily require complex surgical skills or equipment. With access to appropriately trained health professionals, safe surgery and anaesthesia can be delivered cost-effectively in low and middle income countries. RACS recognises that there is a shortage of trained and skilled national specialists and appropriate supporting infrastructure in many developing countries in the region. This shortage reduces the countries capacity to deliver surgical and medical care to their populations. Ill health and disability are a key cause of poverty, while poor people are often disproportionately affected by ill health and disability. RACS Global Health provides specialist medical education, training, capacity development and medical aid. Visiting medical teams and in-country personnel provide clinical mentoring and education to national doctors, nurses and allied health professionals and deliver train-thetrainer programs to strengthen the institutional capacity of national health services and training institutions in the region. We partner with national and international medical and surgical colleges and associations to promote international surgical interchange for the mutual benefit of the surgical communities of Australia and New Zealand, and countries in the region Visiting clinical teams include Fellows from a range of Specialist Medical Colleges and other health care specialties including nursing, physiotherapy and optometry. Program activities are focused on the sustainable delivery of services and training that increase local capacity. We work with national governments, civil societies and non-government organisations to identify and address priorities based on national health and development plans. Activities are aligned with the strategies of in-country governments and partner institutions to strengthen local systems and institutions.
Strategic Goals & Objectives 1 Successfully advocate for the inclusion of safe, affordable surgical and anaesthesia care in national health plans Collaborate with international professional health organisations and academic institutions to promote a unified voice for global surgery Support surgical communities to advocate to their governments for resources to improve access to safe surgery and anaesthesia for their countries Support ministries of health to incorporate safe surgery and anaesthesia services into their national health plans 2 Support capacity building and sustainable workforce development by: Supporting local leadership development Mentor identified health personnel to become medical leaders in their countries Share our expertise in training, professionalism and standards Provide scholarships and travel grants for health professionals to support their professional development Supporting the implementation of in-country education programs Support partner governments in low and middle income countries in which we work to set up and strengthen national medical training programs, aligned with their needs Work with national and regional organisations and governments, in-country partners and specialist medical colleges to design, implement and evaluate education activities Provide expert medical personnel and share training resources to facilitate the implementation of education programs appropriate to the country context Promoting surgical standards and professionalism Encourage surgical audits, safe surgical practice and sustainable emergency cover through education and role modelling Providing clinical services support Ensure skills acquisition for local personnel is a primary component in our response to requests from partner governments for clinical services support 3 Develop and sustain strong partnerships with international surgical bodies and Asia Pacific partners Foster the longstanding collegiate relationships with international surgical colleges in the region and engage with emerging surgical societies and associations for the mutual benefit of our surgical communities Participate at Asia-Pacific surgical conferences and encourage participation of Asia-Pacific surgical college representatives at RACS Global Health events to build networks and strengthen relationships Respond to opportunities presented by the increasing number of International Medical Graduates in Australia and New Zealand and the opportunities for engagement through existing links with their home countries Collaborate with professional health organisations and academic institutions in Australia and New Zealand, and places where global health activities are delivered to improve cooperation and coordination in global health work
RACS Global Health Programs Myanmar RACS Global Health works with Myanmar medical and training institutions to support the development of an effective emergency and trauma care system in Myanmar, and support surgical skills courses requested by the Myanmar Medical Association and Medical Schools to support the development of surgery in the country Sumba Eye Program Sumba Eye Program is targeted at delivering eye care services to the people of Sumba and building the capacity of the local health staff to provide effective eye care for the community in Sumba, Eastern Indonesia Papua The Health Services Development Program in Papua and West Papua is focused on a sustainable skills transfer approach towards a standardised national health workforce. RACS Global Health works in collaboration with the Provincial referral hospital in Jayapura, Papua, and provincial health department to identify training priorities, including the provision of basic surgical skills, essential trauma, burns and pain care Scholarships RACS Global Health continues to award scholarships to worthy surgeons and health professionals from the Asia-Pacific region for appropriate clinical attachments and leadership development. It provides travel/educational grants to support the ongoing professional development of medical personnel in the region East Timor Eye Program (ETEP) ETEP works closely with the Timorese Ministry of Health and National University to build a comprehensive and sustainable eye health system. The Program is building the capacity of the first generation of national ophthalmologists and developing the skills of eye care nurses, workers and technicians to identify, treat and manage a range of eye conditions. The vision of the program is to handover a sustainable, autonomous eye health system to the Government of Timor-Leste by 2020 and to eradicate preventable blindness by 2025 Timor-Leste Program Australia Timor-Leste Program of Assistance for Secondary Services is a health workforce development program that supports postgraduate medical education and training in Family Medicine, Anaesthesia, Paediatrics, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Emergency Medicine, Ophthalmology and Internal Medicine Pacific Islands Program (PIP) PIP works in partnership with Ministries of Health across 11 Pacific Island countries to support workforce development, clinical governance, and medical education and training. The goal of the PIP is to assist Ministries of Health to improve the planning for and delivery of specialised clinical services, ultimately leading to better health outcomes for their populations. Key to this is working closely with other Australian and New Zealand Specialist Colleges and Associations, and health education and coordination institutions of the Pacific region
Values & Guiding Principles Collaboration Strong partnerships with in-country governments and collaborating organisations to achieve the highest attainable standard of health for the communities we work in. Sharing skills and resources with partners and other organisations working in the same area to provide a sustainable service and to avoid replicating services and support already provided. Respect Respecting and learning from national and local institutions and systems, including supporting their agendas and work plans, and considering their priorities. Service Providing support to, and sharing expertise with the communities in our region that request our assistance. RACS Global Health could not operate without the significant contribution of time and expertise of its volunteers. Integrity Commitment to being honest, transparent and accountable in everything we do. Compassion Compassion for those communities that lack access to surgical care and whose members suffer high rates of avoidable death or disability. Diversity & Inclusion All Program activities strive to be inclusive of people with a disability, impartial and neutral in relation to gender, ethnicity, religion, politics, sexual orientation and other personal characteristics. The RACS Global Health Program Strategic Plan 2017-2021 is aligned with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Strategic Plan.
RACS Global Health 250-290 Spring Street East Melbourne VIC 3002 Australia T +61 3 9276 1211 E global.health@surgeons.org www.surgeons.org