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“This program was done with only a few thousand dollars, but was worth millions of dollars to all of the participants. We are very thankful to Interplast for supporting and encouraging us to grow,” said Dr. Kiran Nakarmi, Interplast’s Surgical Outreach director in Nepal.
Interplast appreciates its donors whose funds supported this event and so many other programs and workshops to build the medical capacity in developing countries.
Attendees also discussed burn management and learned more about Nepal’s successful speech camps for cleft palate patients.
The last day of the conference was dedicated to a microsurgery workshop, which included basics about micro instruments and magnification. Young plastic surgeons from Bangladesh, India, and many young surgeons and medical officers from different hospitals in Kathmandu participated.
All participating Interplast surgical directors and partners made short presentations about their work back home. This was followed by a cleft lip and palate discussion. The second day of the conference was dedicated to live cleft lip and palate surgery. The surgery was broadcast into a conference hall so that attending delegates could ask questions to surgeons performing the operation.
The State Minister for Health and Population spoke at the inaugural ceremony at the Hotel Mountain and the Australian Ambassador to Nepal, Nepal’s Health Secretary, the President of Nepal’s Medical Association, the Executive Director of Phect Nepal, Nepal’s first plastic surgeon Prof. K. D. Joshi and many other distinguished guests attended. Television stations and national newspapers covered the event.
Interplast’s first South Asia regional conference of plastic surgeons took place from May 25-30 in Kathmandu, Nepal. With delegates from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom, the conference was the first of its kind in the region.
Dr. Chandini Perera, Interplast surgical outreach director and head of the burn unit in Sri Lanka, is caring for several of the victims of the recent train bombings outside Colombo. According to Reuters, at least eight people were killed and 73 civilians injured when a bomb exploded on a train during rush hour in the Sri Lankan capital on May 26. Chandini recently wrote, "I am treating victims from the recent blast, as well as from the previous blast. One of the patients with over 50 percent burns is a mom of a 7-year-old child." Interplast is humbled by our partners like Chandini who devote their lives to people in need.
