Endoscopy training in the Pacific – finally a member of the Cannibal Forks Club

This year saw the 16th WGO Endoscopy Training Course at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva, Fiji. Over 25 trainee doctors and nurses from all over the Pacific attended the 4-week hands-on course executed by the Australian and New Zealand Gastroenterology Training Association (ANZGITA). Trainers from Australia (Mark Cornwell and David Ruppin) and New Zealand (Jan Kubovy and myself) delivered a program with lots of hands-on experience as well as didactic lectures and teaching into the Fiji National University Diploma and Master of Medicine. The experience for all of us was again amazing and the trainees made immense progress, considering some of them had never had a scope in their hands. A further highlight was the inaugural Train the Trainer course run very professionally by our own Russell Walmsley. Visits to the Australian and New Zealand High Commissions might have opened the door for further support and presentations at the Conference at the Internal Medicine of the Pacific Association with lots of data from a number of endoscopy units across the Pacific rounded up the visit. At the graduation ceremony I was offered the membership into the ‘prestigious’ Cannibal Forks Club for my third visit to Suva. I can only encourage anyone who loves to teach to become a member of ANZGITA and take the opportunity to teach in the Pacific.

Michael Schutlz