The Sydney Adventist Volunteers - From PH December 2009, Used by permission

Over 2800 lives have been transformed by Sydney Adventists humanitarian aid programs  and more programs are planned. Nepalese boy Agani Kathariya was eight years old when a kerosene lamp set his bed alight and despite local treatment for his burns, slow contraction of the skin in subsequent years led to horrific disfigurement. Fijian baby girl Ikinesi Lewase was only one year old when a heart defect was detected that if left untreated, would have killed her. Thankfully both Agani and Ikinesi were treated by members of the volunteer medical and nursing teams co-ordinate under the humanitarian aid program of Sydney Adventist Hospital.
HealthCare Outreach, the name adopted to cover the various programs developed to meet international medical needs, first started in 1986 as Operation Open Heart to treat people dying of rheumatic disease in Tonga.
The program soon expanded and more than 95 trips have now been made by more than 1500 volunteers, with more than 2800 surgeries on men women and children in other countries including Fiji, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Vietnam and Rwanda. Volunteers come from hospitals across Australia and New Zealand. Programs include Operation Open Heart, Cambodia Orthopedic and Nepal Reconstructive Surgery  with plans to extend to gynecological surgeries in Nepal in 2010.
The programs aim to diagnose, do surgeries, provide training to local medical, nursing and allied health staff, improve equipment and contribute to the preventative health program of the country. Volunteers provide their expertise free of charge and contribute towards their own travel expenses. The programs are supported by AusAID, Rotary, the Royal Australian College of Surgeons, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, and other community service organizations, medical companies and individuals.
Dr. David Pennington, Senior Plastic Surgeon at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Sydney and long time member of the Nepal Reconstructive Surgery team, says he was originally drawn to the program through friendship with Dr. Charles Sharpe, the founder of the program.
I found the huge need of the Nepali people for reconstructive surgery in the area of burns scarring and contractures to be a void which I felt we could help fill, and also to bring some training and new techniques to the surgeons in Nepal to assist them in their own efforts to help these people. Says Dr. Pennington.  Some of the more memorable times included straightening the limbs of many patients who had severe contractures which had prevented them from walking and straightening elbows, shoulders, wrists and fingers and hands that were impairing normal function, he continues.
One lady whose face was almost completely burnt away was an extreme challenge. We made a start by correcting severe contractures of her eyelids, hopefully preventing the likelihood of future blindness.
Pediatric cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr, Ian Nicholson operates in Sydney at both the San and Westmead Hospitals and has volunteered for more than 15 trips since 1992.
The most heart wrenching thing for me is to have to choose one patient over another for treatment in countries like Fiji, says Dr Nicholson. We have to make a medical assessment as to who will benefit most. As a parent of children myself, my greatest joy is watching a previously sick child, running from the hospital after their recovery.
Pam Reid a cardiac theater nurse at the San is a veteran of Operation Open Heart having completed multiple tours of duty to Fiji, Nepal, the Solomon Islands, and Papua new Guinea.
One of the great satisfactions is that I've passed on the skills and knowledge I've acquired, says Pam. The Fijian nurses can now work independently in surgery with visiting surgeons and the Fijian medical teams are becoming totally self-sufficient.
Teams can be up to 40-odd strong with specialized medical and health personnel including surgeons, anesthetists, physiotherapists, intensive care and operating theater nurses and bio-medical technicians.
In normally just two weeks a team might perform anything up to 60 operations. Cardiac teams can do open and closed heart surgeries, the implantation of permanent cardiac pacemakers, treating patients suffering from congenital heart defects such as hole in the heart to severe conditions such as ‘blue baby syndrome, caused by multiple holes in the heart. Another major component of the Operation Open Heart surgical program is the treatment of rheumatic heart valve diseases such as valve repair, the opening of narrowed valves and the replacement of severely damaged valves with artificial valves. The local patients if forced to travel to Australia for their treatment could face bills of over $25,000.
Heart disease is one of the most common birth defects globally, affecting millions of children around the world, “ says Melanie Windus, veteran of many Operation Open Heart trips to Fiji. It is estimated that a third of these children will die before their first birthday because of lack of appropriate care. The whole operation is an intense logistical effort often requiring the transport from Australia of more than two tones of medical equipment and supplies, including syringes, dressings, painkillers and the state-of-the-art heart and lung machine. Generous sponsors including Air Pacific, St Jude Medical, 3M, Kimberly Clark, and the Sanitarium Health Food Company make it possible.
Sydney Adventist Hospital Nursing Executive Officer Mrs. Annette Baldwin is a veteran of 15 of the more than 95 trips made during the last 23 years. She says: I am constantly amazed at the generosity of the people of the people who travel across the world to save the lives of people the have never met. What they achieve is truly inspiring. Up to 50 patients can commonly be operated on in one 14-day trip.
Manoa Rokotovitovi had life-saving surgery when he required a replacement heart valve. His family considered themselves lucky that he was chosen for the surgery by the visiting team.
I give thanks, says Saimone Ravivi, Manoa's father. Manoa is very lucky because we would not have been able to afford to send him for surgery. Without surgery, Manoa's heart would fail and he would die. Going on a HealthCare Outreach Trip changes life forever. says team member Cathy Nolan. It makes you realize the things you think are important are not. When you see the struggle they got through everyday, they have so little yet they are so happy, it makes me very humble. What they give back to us is more than what we can do for them.
John Sanberg, team Leader, Nepal Reconstructive Surgery Program says: What keeps me going back? The camaraderie of the team members; the meals together sharing the experiences of the day; learning about the lives of each patient  how they walked for days to get there, or how they manage poverty. How we arrive to see 60 patients with deformed faces and bodies and 10 days later we leave as they wave to us as a group of normal people for some, they have never known what normal means, and we all have tears in our eyes. That's why I keep going back!
The Altruism of volunteers in the Sydney Adventist Hospital's HealthCare Outreach Program is inspiring. They transform and save the lives of people they've never met, and share their skills with local medical and nursing teams in the hope they can leave a legacy of self-sufficiency. They are great ambassadors for Australia.  said Dr Brendan Nelson, the former Education Minister and Federal Member for Bradfield. 

This years team will be arriving at Scheer Memorial Hospital on the 21 of March!  We look forward to working with them again this year.