Club Meeting 8 August 2012

GUEST SPEAKER: Paul Bell is a former member of the Rotary Club of Albury North and is currently spokesperson for Interplast in in District 9790.  Interplast Australia & New Zealand provides surgical and allied health services in developing countries in the Asia Pacific region by providing free medical treatment and training. Paul outlined  the workings of Interplast illustrating his address with informative photos. Each member of an Interplast program is fully qualified in their field of expertise and volunteer their time to participate in an Interplast program. Interplast volunteers provide free treatment to people living with a disability from a congenital condition such as cleft lip and palate, or an acquired condition such as burn scar contractures. Treatment targeted to the indigent population who would otherwise not be able to afford to access services. Interplast assists with developing local capacity to provide surgery and ancillary services by providing training and mentoring programs for medical and allied health professionals.  All Interplast programs are training programs — leaving a legacy long after the team has gone. Founded in 1983 as a joint project of the Royal Australiasian College of Surgeons and Rotary District 9800, Interplast Australia & New Zealand is a charity that sends teams of fully qualified surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and allied therapists to developing countries in the Asia Pacific Region to provide free surgical treatment and medical training. Interplast works with the countries Ministry of Health, senior medical and training officials to facilitate the delivery of Interplast programs, all Interplast volunteers are fully qualified in their field of expertise. Interplast has a Board of Directors drawn from a cross section of expertise, and takes recommendations from the Rotarian and Surgical Committees.  Interplast is a non profit company and a Deductible Gift Recipient. Interplast sends 25 – 30 programs to 12 – 17 countries each year, and has earned an enviable reputation for quality outcomes and is known for its high level of industry support.  The need and support for Interplast services is high and limited only by funding. Interplast has sponsored over 70 doctors and nurses to continue part of their training in Australia and sent 600 volunteers on nearly 500 programs to 24 countries, performed over 30,000 consultations and over 18,000 life changing operations.