Bula, Talofa, kia ora, Mauri, G’day
Greetings to you all from Honiara
I’d like to welcome you all to this PIOA AGM virtual meeting hosted from Brisbane, Australia.
The past year 2020 has been a very challenging year for everyone and unprecedented in many respects. Covid 19 has restricted world travel that impacts many programs including our associations 2020 programs. As we meet we are not sure when most of this restrictions will be lifted. In general our part of the world has been spared the health impacts of Covid 19 seen in other parts of the world but certainly in other aspects like economy, our island nations have not been spared, impacting on our health systems.
Challenges offer opportunities for innovation and am proud to say PIOA as an association has continued to maintain weekly presentations over the platform zoom to offer its trainees continuous learning this past year. We were able to deliver topics on trauma and orthopaedic conditions that I believe assisted us in our delivery of services in our respective hospitals.
We are not able to conduct many of our programs including exams and delivery of twice a year face to face modules this past year but were able to accept new trainees and i’d like to welcome our new trainees to this meeting. We have new intakes from PNG, Fiji, Solomon Islands and East Timor.
PIOA was formally registered with the Australian Charities and No for profits commission on the 27th of March 2020.
I would like to acknowledge the many partners who supported our association, AOA and Orthopaedic outreach, NZOA and Orthopacifix Charitable Trust, Surgeons from NZ, Australia and Switzerland providing time for delivery of lectures, Hospitals in NZ for hosting our trainees attachment, the Samoa National University for accrediting our program and AO alliance, South Pacific Projects, Peace Nexus Foundation and others for funding.
I would like to acknowledge des and shaun for organising and facilitating our training programs and ensuring the association maintains its registration requirements, but moreover continuing to advocate and seek new partners in our association programs.
I believe todays meet will be fruitful and look forward to our discussions
Thank you
Dr. Stephen Kodvaru
President PIOA