Home » Global Health Committee

Global Health Committee

About the GHC

The NZSA supports outreach projects through its Global Health Committee (GHC), the Lifebox Project and the Hugh Spencer Education Fund. The GHC is involved in activities and projects to support anaesthesia, including training, in the Pacific. The breadth of the GHC’s work and how you can get involved is outlined in an article published in NZSA’s magazine.

The GHC launched a new initiative in 2020 called PACT (Pacific Anaesthesia Collaborative Training) to help raise funds to support training of anaesthetists in the Pacific. This has had great uptake, and we appreciate all donations made to support PACT.

More about PACT

https://anaesthesia.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GHC.jpg

Opportunities with the GHC

Join the GHC: The Global Health Committee (GHC) is seeking an SMO Committee Member and Trainee Representative to join their Committee. Find out more.
Trainee Grant: Applications are open for the GHC Trainee Grant to attend the 2025 Pacific Society of Anaesthetists Annual Refresher Meeting. Find out more.

GHC Members

Caroline Zhou (Acting Chair)

Petra Linden-Ross

Alan Goodey

Atif Slim

Charlotte Legge

Indu Kapoor

James-Dalby Ball

Laura Davis

Matt Jenks

Michael Kalkoff

Ted Hughes

Wayne Morriss

Contact the GHC

Please complete this form and a member of the Global Health Committee will be in touch

GHC Enquiry

Name(Required)

First Last

Email(Required)

Phone

Please tell us what the GHC can help you with(Required)

I agree to a member of the GHC contacting me in response to this form(Required)

Yes

Phone

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

2030 Goals for Global Surgery and Anaesthesia

Dr Alan Goodey, member of the NZSA GHC, has written a comprehensive article about the Lancet Commission’s ambitious goals for 2030, which include a minimum of 80% coverage of essential surgical and anaesthesia services per country. A second indicator which is more easily measured but still extremely challenging is 100% of countries having a minimum of 20 SAO (specialist surgeons, specialist obstetricians and specialist anaesthetists/anaesthesiologists) per 100,000 population. Read more on how the NZSA and its members can help to achieve these goals.

Lifebox

Lifebox is a WFSA project which distributes pulse oximeters to developing countries (a non-invasive medical device that checks the level of oxygen in a patient’s bloodstream and sounds an alarm as soon as it detects the slightest unsafe change). Pulse oximeters have been described as the most important monitoring tool in modern anaesthesia practice.

Lifebox ANZ

The NZSA has supported Lifebox over many years as part of its overseas aid work. The Australasian Lifebox Committee is made up of ANZCA, ASA, and the NZSA – funds are allocated to regions around the world. Dr Caroline Zhou, a member of the GHC, represents the NZSA on this committee.

Visit Lifebox ANZ

Pacific Collaboration

The NZSA has a strong and long-standing commitment to supporting overseas anaesthetists in developing countries. Our focus is the Pacific: providing education and training, financial assistance, and resources. We also provide locums to cover lists, which enable Pacific anaesthetists to attend international meetings and refresher courses, as well as take a break when needed. Several NZ anaesthetists have experience working in the Pacific, and further afield, and find it very rewarding.

Volunteer in the Pacific

Every year the Pacific Society of Anaesthetists (PSA) holds a meeting in the Pacific for anaesthetists from across the region (including Australia and NZ) to attend. Working as a locum during the meeting allows our Pacific-based colleagues and trainees to attend this annual meeting, which is often their only opportunity to attend a conference and a great chance to network with fellow Pacific colleagues.

The GHC has received sufficient interest from anaesthetists interested in providing volunteer locum cover during the Pacific Society of Anaesthetists’ meeting in 2025. Members of the GHC will be in touch with those who completed the form.

Updates from the Pacific

The NZSA and GHC maintain a close connection with the Pacific Society of Anaesthetists. The Pacific Society of Anaesthetists publishes a quarterly newsletter, PSA Pasifika Pulse, that we share here if you’re interested in reading the latest anaesthesia updates from the Pacific region.

Read the latest issue, December 2024 here.

https://anaesthesia.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Colonial-War-Memorial-Hospital.jpeg

Trainee opportunities

Global Health Committee Trainee Representative

The GHC is seeking a new trainee representative member.

The trainee representative role on the NZSA GHC is an excellent opportunity for trainees interested in global health to become involved in projects early in their career. GHC trainee representatives promote the work of PACT and have close links with Pacific trainee colleagues.

Find out more

Global Health Committee Trainee Grant

Applications are open for the 2025 Trainee Grant.

The Pacific Society of Anaesthetists Annual Refresher Course will be held 18-22 August 2025 in Fiji.

To apply email GHC Acting Chair, Dr Caroline Zhou, with your CV and an accompanying letter stating why you would like to attend. Applications have been extended and close Monday 31 March.

The NZSA GHC offers an annual trainee grant to New Zealand anaesthetic trainees who are members of the NZSA. The grant (NZ $1,000) goes towards paying the costs of attending the Pacific Society of Anaesthetist’s Annual Conference.

The grant provides NZ trainees with an opportunity to gain perspectives on anaesthesia services in the Pacific, to network with anaesthesia colleagues in the region and to assist with the PSA meeting, if required. The selected trainee is required to provide a short report for publication in the NZSA magazine relaying their experiences of attending the meeting. You can read the 2024 report here.

NZSA trainee membership is free and interested trainees who are not members of the NZSA can join at the time of applying for this grant.

https://anaesthesia.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/PSAmeeting2023nzdelegates.jpg

Hugh Spencer Education Fund

The Spencer Family Trust developed the fund to be used for education opportunities in the Pacific and is overseen by the NZSA Global Health Committee. Hugh Spencer was a highly respected anaesthetist who was a Life Member of the NZSA, the former head of the Waikato Department, and a Life Member of the PSA. He also received an ANZCA citation for valiant service and the NZ Order of Merit for services to medicine in 2010.

If you wish to donate, please send funds directly to the Hugh Spencer Fund bank account: 02-0168-0240227-007. Please include your name and details to help us identify the payee. Members making donations can claim certain tax deductions.

Other pages related to Global Health Committee

PACT Donations

Global Health Committee

About the GHC

Opportunities with the GHC

GHC Members