Melbourne Biopharmaceutical Company Named First Corporate Sponsor of International Medical Aid Organisation

Melbourne, June 2013 Melbourne biopharmaceutical company Specialised Therapeutics Australia has become the first corporate sponsor of an international charitable organisation which enables medical and surgical specialists to impart their expertise to colleagues in developing countries.

The company has become the inaugural donor for the Specialists Without Borders (SWB) organisation, an Australian based non-profit entity established in 2005 to provide specialist medical and allied health teaching in developing countries.

The specialist teaching from some of Australasia’s leading academic doctors, covers areas such as trauma surgery, orthopaedics, neurosurgery, anaesthetics, urology, radiology, oncology, paediatrics, perinatal health and psychiatry.

Announcing the $50,000 donation, STA co-founders Carlo Montagner and Bozena Zembrzuski said this funding would immediately assist a specialised teaching seminar to be undertaken in Malawi and Zimbabwe in September 2013, with expansion of the teaching programme into Asia in 2014. STA will also provide communications and marketing support to SWB as part of its sponsorship.

20 Australian doctors and five select medical students will travel to each location for one week of teaching. Supported by four major Australian universities, the organisation has pioneered innovative teaching techniques in medicine and surgery and is rapidly becoming a valued medical teaching resource in developing countries. SWB has recently completed a five-year teaching module in Rwanda.

Ms Zembrzuski said these intensive teaching programs in developing countries were designed to empower local communities and reduce poverty by educating local doctors in cutting-edge medical developments and techniques which are often commonplace in the western world.

“STA is committed to improving health outcomes not only for Australians but for people in more remote parts of the world who may not have access to the same facilities and top-level expertise we are lucky enough to enjoy,” she said.

“We hope this donation plays a part in helping SWB make real inroads in these developing countries, with the ultimate goal that doctors in these areas are equipped to give high class care to their own communities.”

Working in full partnership with local communities and health care services, SWB co-ordinates an international body of medical specialists committed to providing medical education which enables sustainable health care solutions.

SWB chairman Dr Paul Anderson said all Australian doctors involved in the mission covered their own airfare and accommodation expenses.

“We are extremely pleased to accept this generous contribution from STA and are committed to ensuring these funds will help educate our colleagues in other parts of the world,” Dr Anderson said.

“We can make a real difference. And it is this kind of support that will enable us to further develop and continue to provide programs addressing areas of high need in terms of medical education in the third world.

“Every trip we make brings us closer to achieving our goals of helping these communities help themselves with improved medical care and high class training.”

 

About Specialised Therapeutics Australia

Specialised Therapeutics Australia Pty Ltd (STA) is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to working with leading pharmaceutical companies worldwide to provide acute care therapies for high unmet medical needs to people living in Australia and New Zealand. The STA therapeutic portfolio and pipeline at present encompasses oncology and infectious diseases. STA also has interests in the therapeutic areas of respiratory, dermatology, endocrinology and central nervous system (CNS).  Additional information can be found at www.specialisedtherapeutics.com.au

 

About Specialists Without Borders

Specialists Without Borders (SWB) is an Australia-based non-profit organisation contributing towards sustainable medical education in developing countries. SWB recognises the vital importance of information-sharing through the participation in global health, education and aid networks and works within the context of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) towards a more just, stable and secure world.

Through SWB, groups of international medical specialists volunteer their time to lead training seminars in developing countries. Each seminar is undertaken in full partnership with local communities, hospitals, health departments, medical schools and universities. Projects include, where possible, the upgrading of facilities and the provision of educational materials and textbooks to enhance medical learning and practice.