The Association of Anaesthetists’ International Relations Committee
The International Relations Committee (IRC) is currently chaired by Dr Ann Harvey, and reports to the Board of Trustees of the AAGBI Foundation. It has two sections: a core group that includes grant funding partners who discuss and allocate the different types of monetary grants; and an advisory group, a forum with wider representation functioning as a source of expertise, information exchange and strategy (Box 1).
One of the main functions of the committee is to pool resources in order to fund a variety of anaesthesia-related projects to promote safe anaesthesia and surgery in low resource countries through the exchange of knowledge and skills. Having spent the last two years on the committee, I’d like to highlight available grants. In ordinary circumstances, applications are reviewed and awarded four times per year for the following:
- International travel grants: up to £1000. These can be applied for by individuals travelling for short projects (< 1 month) that benefit resource poor countries; e.g. Mercy Ships, Operation Smile or to attend educational fellowships. In general, up to 50% of travel costs can be awarded.
- International volunteer/ OOPTE grants: up to £20,000. These can be applied for when undertaking long-term volunteer work in low resource countries; e.g. travelling to work on projects such as the Zambia Anaesthesia Development Programme as fellows.
- International project grant: this can be applied for by an individual or team undertaking projects over a period of weeks or months, either as part of an existing project. or those seeking to establish a new programme; e.g. those introducing the SAFE-OR programme in low resource countries may apply for this type of grant.
- SAFE project grant funding: up to £20,000 two times per year; applications for these are reviewed by the SAFE steering group.
There is also an annual International Scholar Fellowship funded by the Association; the aim is for one scholar to attend a major Association meeting (Annual Congress, WSM or Trainee Conference) to support their continuing professional development, and for this to be combined with an observership programme in an NHS Trust.
This year we appointed our first IRC Fellow (Dr Natalie Wood). This is a position for ST5+ trainees with a strong interest in global anaesthesia who will be able to gain experience within the IRC and SAFE steering committee. The IRC Fellow will be involved in awarding grants, evaluation of the results from previous awards, and development of educational resources, among other activities.
As well as funding, the IRC is involved in the development of educational resources. Alongside the RCoA and e-learning for Health (e-lfh) team, e-safe educational material has been developed and is free online and via USB sticks on all courses. There is also an e-primer in development that has resources for those considering volunteering or working in low resource countries.
The IRC is also a point of contact for organisations within and working in low resource countries and can help with the development and coordination of projects. We have developed strong links with newly developed organisations such as CANECSA (the College of Anaesthesiologists of East, Central and Southern Africa), and our global anaesthesia partners map is available on the website should you wish to know what projects are ongoing and who is involved.
Having spent the last two years as a member of the IRC, it has been inspiring to see the variety of international volunteer work carried out and the dedication of those involved, both from the UK and Ireland and those from countries where projects are being undertaken.
Safer Anaesthesia From Education (SAFE) – a trainee perspective
The SAFE project is a joint collaboration between the Association of Anaesthetists and the WFSA which was developed in 2007. To date, over 125 SAFE courses have been delivered in over 33 countries, training over 3480 clinicians; over 520 anaesthesia providers have been trained as SAFE Trainers. The underlying principle is to equip anaesthetists or anaesthesia providers with the essential knowledge and skills to deliver safe care to their patients, even in very low resource countries, and to train as many anaesthesia providers as possible in each country in order to create a sustainable training model that can be embedded in the national health system.
I’ve had the opportunity to teach as faculty on a SAFE obstetrics course in Nigeria and a SAFE paediatrics and SAFE Train-the-Trainer course in Namibia. I was amazed at the levels of engagement and enthusiasm by all who attended, some of whom had travelled over 500 miles. Teaching on SAFE gave me the opportunity to learn about different cultures, their approach to the provision of anaesthesia, and the factors that influence health care access. This made me very grateful for the NHS. One of the reasons I wanted to get involved with SAFE is because its aims include sustainability, the importance of training local faculty, and delivery of training resources so that the course has a lasting educational impact. This really resonated with me. Although we had an extensive curriculum to get through over the 3-day courses, this was a knowledge exchange amongst participants, local and international faculty; I certainly learned more about halothane and malaria than I ever knew before. This left me feeling awe-inspired at the dedication of those working in low resource environments, and the ingenuity required in these situations.
Divya Raviraj
ST7/ Elected Member of the Association of Anaesthetists Trainee Committee