This week we are celebrating International Women’s Day here at Interplast – by highlighting the work of some of our inspiring women. We’re bringing you a series of three profiles of some of the incredible women that are involved in our programs.
Liz Bashford – anaesthetist and Interplast volunteer
When asked about the most memorable moments she has experienced while volunteering for Interplast, for Australian anaesthetist Liz Bashford, the gratitude of the parents of Interplast patients stands out more than anything. “Like any parent, the most important thing in your life is the health and well-being of your child. That their child is given a chance to lead a better or even a normal life by surgery – often relatively minor surgery – it is a privilege to be part of that. Cleft lip and palate repairs will change a child’s future forever – unrepaired clefts carry a significant social stigma. Burns repairs can restore the use of a hand or a foot. You can see the relief in the parent’s eyes. The kids are not always so impressed – they don’t like us so much!”
Liz first volunteered for an Interplast program in 1997, following her work with the Red Cross in the 1990’s in Pakistan and Kenya. This experience gave her a good understanding of what was involved in working with limited resources and being flexible, economical, and sometimes innovative in her practice. She heard of Interplast through word of mouth, and was particularly interested in our work in PNG and the Pacific Islands. “I have always been interested in working in developing countries, mainly because I travel a lot and I see how much we have as Australians in terms of wealth and education…when I began volunteering with Interplast, I was living in Cairns, and Port Moresby (PNG) was closer to Cairns than Brisbane – yet their maternal mortality is one of the worst in the world”.
Since her first trip to Labasa in Fiji in 1997, Liz has volunteered on 10 Interplast programs – including to PNG, Laos, Bangladesh and Tonga. She has participated in surgical visits, as well as delivering training in the Essential Pain Management course which is run in partnership with the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.
