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Spotlight on the need for compassionate surgeons
View(s):By Kumudini Hettiarachchi
While other professional medical associations hold their academic sessions in hotels, the members of the College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka (CSSL) packed into the CSSL’s beautifully refurbished auditorium – the premises, once the cozy home of legendary Surgeon Dr. Noel and Nora Bartholomeusz.
Chief guest Prof. Christopher R. Chapple delivering his address
Cutting across numerous specialties from general surgery to cardiac surgery; neurosurgery to ear-nose-throat surgery; plastic surgery to orthopaedic surgery; gastrointestinal surgery to urological surgery; cancer surgery to paediatric surgery and more, this year the CSSL brought under the spotlight not just the latest surgical techniques but ‘wholesome’ care including compassion for patients.
The inauguration of the three-day Sri Lanka Surgical Congress 2022 on the theme ‘Compassionate Surgery’ was held on Wednesday evening with eminent medical personalities from this country and those who had come from across the seas, speaking on behalf of patients.
The congress, the CSSL’s 51st annual meeting, was held in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the SAARC Surgical Care Society.
CSSL President Dr. Satish K. Goonesinghe addressing the gathering
Referring to the venue as “great”, CSSL President Dr. Satish K. Goonesinghe said that the funds saved by holding their sessions at the Dr. Noel and Nora Bartholomeusz Foundation would be directed for meaningful academic and professional activity. The final beneficiaries of the deliberations at the congress were the population at large with the delivery of surgical excellence, for this was the college representing ‘all’ surgical specialties.
He said that 2022 has not been a good year for Sri Lankans. The economic crisis has had a tremendous impact on the provision of surgical care with shortages of surgical consumables, medications etc. This, in fact, is an annus horribilis. At one point, it was mere sustenance of surgical services. The college initiated aid from donors abroad. There were intercollegiate efforts as well.
“It needs to be emphasised that this type of ad hoc aid systems are not sustainable in the long run. We need focused and purposeful action from the national policymakers and relevant authorities to bridge and continue supplies in a background of diminished foreign exchange reserves. Such efforts can be supported and facilitated by the colleges,” he said.
Delving into “compassionate surgery”, Dr. Goonesinghe said that compassion is a universal human value. In all major religions, it is a core tenet. In Buddhism, karuna is one of the key four sublime states; in Christianity, there are numerous biblical references to compassionate God and compassionate people; and in Islam, under the concept of mercy, it is held that the mercy of God and His compassionate nature always envelope people.
Moving to the hospital setting, he said that at surgical meetings, they tend to focus on the management of surgical disease and innovative techniques. “Although we are all endowed with the core human value of compassion, do we ponder and reflect how compassionate we are in the real world and at work? Compassion in patient care settings is nuanced and requires our cognitive empathy at all levels. Compassion also has a broader context – it needs to flow to colleagues and peers, all team members and the community at large. This is all-round compassion.”
Quoting Prof. Michael West of the University of Lancaster, UK, Dr. Goonesinghe said that “compassion is a means of connecting with others – those we love, those to whom we are neutral or indifferent, and those who we find difficult and establishing warmth. It is a way of transcending boundaries and establishing our shared humanity with a commitment to help”.
The CSSL council and other invitees
Surgeons are team leaders and hold a position of trust for the benefit of patients, he said, explaining that compassionate leadership in patient-care settings leads to team satisfaction and better patient outcomes.
“It is broadly held that compassionate leadership involves attending to, understanding, empathizing with and helping those we lead. It also requires a clear direction, alignment, and commitment as inclusive leaders,” added Dr. Goonesinghe.
The chief guest at the inauguration was Prof. Christopher R. Chapple, Secretary General of the European Association of Urology (EAU), who leads 18,000 members. The guests of honour were Prof. Rohan W. Jayasekara, Emeritus Professor of Anatomy of the University of Colombo; Prof. Rowan Parks, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh; Prof. M.D. Lamawansa, President of the SAARC Surgical Care Society; and Prof. Abhay Rane, Vice President (Surgical) of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow.
An interesting pre-congress workshop, among the record number of 14 covering almost all surgical specialties, had been ‘Medical photography in clinical situations’.
| Bhutan’s PM Dr. Lotay Tshering who is a surgeon, sharing some valuable insights after linking up on Zoom The scalpel and the pen Joining the inauguration on Zoom, the Prime Minister of Bhutan, Dr. Lotay Tshering who is a surgeon, said that both health and education being absolutely free in his country had the effect of social levellers. He elaborated how there was a primary health post in every area in rugged and mountainous Bhutan. Even then the COVID-19 pandemic came as a “big” surprise. So there was a need to try to go back to the lessons learnt during the pandemic. “We must be prepared for repeated pandemics. We faced SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2). But we do not know where SARS-CoV-3 is getting cooked,” he said, reiterating the importance of proper Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Dr. Tshering also touched on why he went into politics. Serving in a hospital as an active surgeon, he had realised that professional work and compassion alone were inadequate. What worked was a policy change. “I was operating with my surgical scalpel on patients but politics was the way to operate on the country by wielding the pen,” he said, adding that this was the need during the pandemic and also post-pandemic.
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