REACHING OUT: Wangaratta surgeon Frank Miller with a tais he brought back from Dili in Timor Leste (East).
Realities of a nation still dealing with its past
Written by STEVE KELLY.
Children with burns was the most common injury Wangaratta surgeon Frank Miller had to attend to during his recent two week visit to Dili in Timor Leste (East) on a trip sponsored by the Royal Australian College of Surgeons.
Mr Miller took his wife and four children over with him while he worked collaboratively with three other doctors from China, Cuba and Timor.
He helped train four local registrars who have an interest in surgery, and although much of the work was similar to his general practice work in Wangaratta, the experience was different.
"Part of my role there was to supervise the registrars and hopefully train them as well," he said.
"We had a great time as a family and visited a couple of beaches there, while keeping a keen eye on salt water crocodiles.
"We did some sightseeing, but I was tied down to the hospital a lot so we couldn’t really go on any long trips."
Mr Miller’s first impression was of a country that is still showing a lot of problems associated with its violent past with many disused, burnt down buildings in the city and a vast amount of rebuilding taking place.
Timor Leste ranks as the second lowest Asian country on the Human Development Index.
"There is still a lot of poverty and shanty town conditions around the edge of town," he said.
"It is in a state of disrepair, but there is a lot of energy there."
It’s likely this energy comes from the hope that people like Mr Miller bring to underprivileged communities such as Dili.
And he hopes Australia as a neighboring country can ramp up its support of medical and surgical training in the future.
Mr Miller said he got a lot out of his visit and he encourages other doctors to become involved.
"I felt I was able to help these people in my own way and I would like to see more involvement from Australia in medical and surgical training," he said.
"Most of the local people who want to be doctors are trained in Cuba, but it seems natural that Australians should be able to get involved with Timor Leste."
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