Executive Director of Medical Services, Dr. Kate McConnon with current Hospital Medical Officer - Registrar Kaiyang Lim and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon Dr. Robert Toma
South West Healthcare have been accredited as one of the nation’s first rural training hospitals for Plastic and Reconstructive Registrars in their final years of training.
Plastics and reconstructive surgeries at South West Healthcare have been a part of the service provisions for a number of years and cover a range of procedures from skin cancer to hand surgery, along with post cancer breast reconstruction and burns.
Chief Executive Officer, Craig Fraser said it was a great achievement to be the only rurally accredited plastics training hospital in the state outside metropolitan Melbourne and Geelong.
“It took a collaborative effort with Dr. Robert Toma and our service to build up the plastics unit to the point we could achieve the requirements of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons for the program.
“Six of our past registrars have progressed to accredited plastics programs despite the very limited intake each year and this is testament to the strong training they’ve received through our service and dedication of Mr Toma,” Mr Fraser said.
Working across both South West Healthcare and WPRS under the guidance of plastic surgeons Robert Toma, John Masters and Robert Capstick the first registrar through the accredited program commenced in February and will gain training in a variety of plastic and reconstructive procedures and exposure to rural practice.
WPRS founder, Dr. Toma said the accreditation was recognition of the success of the unaccredited plastics training program that had been running in the region for the past eight years.
“We currently service a catchment area of 250,000 clients with the recommended ratio being one plastic surgeon to 34,000 clients.
“With the accredited training now at South West Healthcare the registrars on the program in their final years, and with a good experience, we hope they choose to stay rural after training rural,” Dr Toma said.
“We’re putting ourselves in a better position to retain future doctors and build our plastics and reconstructive surgery unit for the benefit of the south west,” he said.