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RACS leadership
President’s perspective As we come to the end of this very long year I think it is important to acknowledge the challenges that have been thrown at us in 2020, and the efforts of so many people who have helped us to deal with them. The year 2019 ended in tragic circumstances with the Whakaari/White Island volcanic eruption in New Zealand and then we had devastating bushfires that raged across large parts of Australia and carried on well into 2020. As I have said previously, these tragedies often bring communities together and I was so proud to see the surgical community contributing to this effort
by caring selflessly for the many injured in both countries. The small group of burn surgeons and their well-trained teams in both Australia and New Zealand were assisted by many others and did an unbelievable job. The Australian and New Zealand Burn Association must be congratulated on their excellent Emergency Management of Severe Burns Course, which has trained so many to be prepared. In regard to the bushfires, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) made two submissions to the Royal Commission tasked with examining this disaster. Professor David Fletcher, Chair
of RACS’ newly formed Environmental Sustainability in Surgical Practice Working Group, was asked to participate in a videoconference consultation where he discussed our submission. The final report from the Royal Commission was released on 30 October 2020, and provided 80 recommendations covering a range of different areas. I was pleased to see that the College’s submission was referenced in the report. Several of the issues we raised were addressed in the recommendations. Part of the responsibility of the Royal Commission was to examine our preparedness for any natural disasters
