Surgeons to Address Health Priorities in New Zealand

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ROYAL AUSTRALASIAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS
MEDIA RELEASE

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Surgeons to Address Health Priorities in New Zealand
Wednesday August 12, 2015

Over 90 of New Zealand’s leading surgeons and other health professionals will attend the New Zealand Scientific Meeting of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) to be held in Queenstown this week.

The meeting, titled “SURGERY 2015: I Can – BUT Should I? Choosing Wisely”, focuses on the future of healthcare in New Zealand through the challenges surrounding access to surgery and the best use of surgical resources.

The conference will be opened by the Minister of Health, Dr Jonathan Coleman, who will outline his current priorities and vision for the health sector. The conference will also feature 2014 New Zealander of the Year, Dr Lance O’Sullivan, as a guest speaker.

Dr O’Sullivan, renowned for establishing the low-cost health clinic Te Kohanga Whakaora, is also the founder of the Manawa Ora Korokoro Ora programme that provides medical care to 2000 children across Northland, and the Kainga Ora initiative, which promotes wellness through safe and warm homes.

Other guest speakers include Dr Wendy Levinson, Chair of Choosing Wisely Canada, Professor Sir Murray Brennen, previous chair of the surgery department of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, Mrs Anne Kolbe, Chair of the National Health Committee, and Professor Randall Morton, Chair of the RACS New Zealand National Board.

The Annual Scientific Meeting is being held at the Millennium Hotel in Queenstown from Thursday 13 August to Friday 14 August.

ABOUT RACS

RACS is the leading advocate for surgical standards, professionalism and surgical education in Australia and New Zealand. The College is a not-for-profit organisation that represents more than 7000 surgeons and 1300 surgical trainees and International Medical Graduates. RACS also supports healthcare and surgical education in the Asia-Pacific region and is a substantial funder of surgical research. There are nine surgical specialties in Australasia being: Cardiothoracic surgery, General surgery, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedic surgery, Otolaryngology Head-and-Neck surgery, Paediatric surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive surgery, Urology and Vascular surgery.

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