Australia to provide scholarship for young docs

A six-member team of surgeons and nurses from Interplast Australia headed by surgeon David Hunter Smith, now in the capital, will train the Bangladeshi doctors at the Burn Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital and conduct operations on some 50 critical patients.

"We will be working closely with local surgeons, sharing techniques and talking about the best ways to handle individual cases. We hope to treat at least 50 patients selected from those waiting at the hospital," surgeon Smith told a press conference at the Australian Club in the city yesterday.

He said a simple operation can change the lives of those born with cleft-lips and cleft-palates.

Surgeon Smith said there are 300 surgeons in Australia for about 20 million people while in Bangladesh there are only 10 plastic surgeons for 140 million people.

In reply to a question, he said Interplast Australia will offer scholarships for young Bangladeshi doctors in collaboration with the governments of Australia and Bangladesh.

Under the scholarship programme, which is likely to be introduced in 12 to 18 months, doctors would be provided specialised training for three to six months at hospitals in Australia.

Besides, Interplast takes critical Bangladeshi patients to Australia for treatment. Last year, it took 13-year-old Joyanta from Chittagong who was badly mauled by a female bear. The horrific injuries to his face were treated for 12 months and he was brought to Dhaka on April 22 with one of the Interplast doctors who performed the multiple operations.

"But taking patients for treatment in Australia is very expensive as medical cost there is very high. It is logical to bring specialist surgeons in Bangladesh to treat more patients," he said.

In reply to a question, Australian High Commissioner Douglas Foskett said the Australian government would consider providing modern medical equipment to Bangladesh for treatment of complicated patients.

He said Bangladesh is the biggest recipient of Australian aid, with 32 million dollars a year, in South Asia. "Priorities here are many, but it is something we can consider," he said.

Dr Samanta Lal Sen, director of the Burn Unit at DMCH, said some 1.5 lakh children are born every year with cleft-lip and -palates problems mainly due to malnourishment of mothers.