This August, InterSurgeon spoke to new member Dr Rahul Gorka, a burns care specialist from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Vijaypur, Jammu, India.
Dr Gorka joined InterSurgeon this year after an internet search for a platform to facilitate new global surgical partnerships for himself and his institution. “Global surgery is about: one, the need and two, what is the solution? Both require each other for equal distribution of healthcare, not as individual countries but as a global village. It is our duty [as members of the surgical team] to reach out to the patient. We should be able to practice with no barriers… [so that] it is not just an exchange of education or culture but equitable distribution of healthcare”
Making a request
In February, Dr Gorka made a request on InterSurgeon for partnership with a member for aesthetic burn, breast, craniofacial, hand surgery, head and neck, and lower extremity maxillofacial microsurgery. His special interests lie in academic research and improving patient care.
All InterSurgeon members can use our offer and request functions to look for an international collaborative partner by using our highly specialised search functions. Firstly, we have an interactive global map on our home page displaying both clinician and organisation members. By using our filters, you can toggle for individual members or offers and request by geographical location. This year, in partnership with ISBI, we launched our burns care map which allows you to look at members from the burns care community. You can also click on our clinician and organisation tabs and use our enhanced search filters to sort by specialty (including sub-specialty), member location (including type of hospital and language spoken), experience in countries and affiliations (including organisations such as Global Initiative for Childrens Surgery and member affiliations such as ISBI and the G4 alliance). For Organisation members you can also stratify by scopes of work too.
Global Surgery in India
For Dr Gorka, working at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, a central government funded institute, brings the opportunity to invite speakers from abroad who they can accommodate. This is supported by their chief director. Their main focus remains on what is most treated in India so that the patients can benefit through this program of collaboration. “The most common problems we treat are: number one burns injuries, number two cleft lip and palate and number three diabetic ulcers and wounds which are very prevalent in India. Our resources and manpower are limited and our infrastructure is not adequate because the population is so huge.”
Finally he says, of InterSurgeon; “So my idea of an organisation like InterSurgeon is that it should be [facilitating] a link between different surgeons in different parts of the world with a common motive and objective and a common mission and vision.”
If you would like to read Dr Gorka’s request click here
