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Volunteer
work

Dr. Vandeleur is involved in trips to East Timor, Myanmar and Kiribati where he volunteers his skills to help improve the eye health of the people of these developing nations.

The main procedures performed are cataract and vitreo-retinal operations.

Dr Vandeleur in East Timor.

East Timor Program

Dr. Vandeleur is involved in the ATLASS program (Australia-Timor Leste Program of Assistance for Specialised Services). This program began in October 2006 and is continuing to make a difference to the communities there.

There are 4 main objectives of the program:

  • Long Term Training, Mentoring and Capacity Building Objective: to strengthen the general surgical, anaesthetic and peri-operative nursing capacity and clinical skills through a combination of in-country mentoring, short courses, and out-of-country specialist training.
  • Short Term Specialist Support and Planning Objective: to support surgical and other clinical care through short-term specialist visits and attachments, including through outreach to rural and regional communities.
  • Institutional Linkages Facility Objective: to support surgical and other clinical care and support services through strategic linkages with Australian and other international institutions.
  • Program Management and Monitoring Objective: to manage the Program effectively and efficiently, and maintain a program office at HNGV (East Timor’s main hospital)
    The program is run in assistance with the Royal Australian College of Surgeons (RACS). Dr. Bill Glasson, another Brisbane-based Ophthalmologist, is also involved in the Timor program.

Pacific Islands Project

There is a shortage of trained and skilled local specialists in many of the Pacific Island Countries. This shortage severely reduces the countries’ capacity to deliver essential eye care to their peoples. The Pacific Islands Project (PIP) aims to improve population health through the delivery of health services in Pacific Island Countries. Countries included in the Project are the Cook Islands, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Nauru.

The PIP is funded by AusAID and managed by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS).

Myanmar Program

RACS Global Health works with emergency physicians and the Myanmar Ministry of Health to deliver a sustainable specialist training program in emergency medicine, providing necessary training to equip local specialists with the practical skills and knowledge to successfully lead the development of an effective emergency care system throughout the country.

The program is delivered by the University of Medicine in Yangon, with volunteer emergency physicians and medical specialists providing instruction and mentorship.

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The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons is striving for a world where all children, families and communities can access quality surgical care when they need it most. 100% of your donation to Foundation for Surgery will assist in addressing critical surgical need in disadvantaged communities as well as supporting research that advances surgical knowledge and practice.