The Solomon Islands National Referral Hospital Orthopaedic department values Orthopaedic Outreach visits. There are occasional visits from other international teams, with the Taiwanese actively involved. These have at times extended to include major joint replacement surgery, which presents risks in the current environment.
Honiara-based surgeons Alex Munamua and Alex Tew’ani have both recently passed their final exams of the Pacific Island Orthopaedic Association (PIOA) training program this year, making a total of four trained orthopaedic consultant surgeons. This will have a tremendous effect in not only managing the clinical load, but also promoting a successful pathway for the next generation of surgeons in the Solomon Islands.
Alex has promoted surgical safety and the strategies for reducing surgical site infection within the department. This improves patient outcomes and reduces hospital expenditure through minimising length of hospital stay.
James has shown a particular interest in the use of the SIGN Nail for intramedullary fixation of long bone fractures. He oversees the patient reporting and recording of implant use that is required for outcome evaluation.
The interest in orthopaedic surgery continues with a steady stream of surgical trainees into their department, and is a real testament to the culture created by Patrick Houasia and Stephen Kodovaru.
Of note is that Dr Stephen Kodovaru is the recently elected President of the Pacific Islands Orthopaedic Association.
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