“We have to understand that Sri Lankan doctors have a lot of experience thanks to the thirty years of war.” commented Prof.Kamal Bose, Orthopaedic Surgeon from SingHealth.  He was speaking at the workshop on ‘Regional Collaboration between Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps and the Singapore General Hospital on Management of Trauma’ held at the Hotel Ramada on Thursday, 26^th July 2012.

“However, we in Singapore have a well-knit programme although we are a small country; we have enough resources compared to other countries in the region.” he continued.

 

 

The forum was organized by ‘Delmege Forsyth & Co.Ltd-Healthcare Division.  Major General Dr.Sanjeewa Munasinghe, Medical Advisor to the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army gave the welcome address and said that this was a rare opportunity to capture most of the medical professionals who were directly involved in managing the war wounded in the Sri Lankan armed forces in one session like this due to their busy schedule. He said that it was a great opportunity to update and enhance their knowledge as well as share their experience with others.

 

 

Prof.Tay Boon Keng, Chairman, Medical Board-International, ‘SingHealth’, introduced the programme.  “We are a public healthcare group and the hospital was started in 1821.  We are an academic medical centre and our major role is in teaching. In our group, there are two major hospitals; the largest acute tertiary hospital with 1600 beds and the KK hospital which is the largest Women and Children’s hospital in Singapore. We also have 5 National Specialty Centres.” he said.

“We were invited to Sri Lanka by the Army Medical Corps and in our teaching and collaborative role, we have brought a team of doctors with different specialties, nurses and physiotherapists.” he added.

 

 

Prof.Anantharaman then spoke on the “Initial Assessment of the Trauma Patient”, “Pre-Hospital Management of Trauma”, “Emergency Department Organisation of Trauma Care” and “Injury Prevention and Control”.  He stressed that Trauma is preventable and injuries can be avoided and even if they occur, it is possible to lessen the severity.

“Many younger people suffer and this can be a great loss to society.  If you prevent injuries, you minimize the death and morbidity of the injuries.  Injuries are the largest cause of death and disability in the young. For instance, road accidents such whereas not strapping on helmet and visor when riding a motorcycle lead to severe head injuries; similarly, not wearing a seat belt in a car. People should also respect speed. Another remedy is for the man in the street to learn First Aid.” he pointed out.

            

 

 

By Sirohmi Gunesekera