Trauma surgeons address Surgical Society

21 April 2010 | Story by Newsroom

society members & guestsTrauma talk: Attending the Surgical Society's second lecture were (from left) society chair Thadathilankal Jess John, Prof Pradeep Navsaria, Prof Andrew Nicol and Dr Sorin Edu.

No-holds-barred pictures of victims of violent trauma and explicit video footage of emergency operations were key features in the UCT Surgical Society's second lecture of the year on 14 April.

UCT's internationally renowned heads of the trauma surgery department, Professor Pradeep Navsaria and Professor Andrew Nicol, gave students a taste of what it is like to be a trauma specialist in South Africa in their talks, titled Life in the Trauma Unit.

Both Navsaria and Nicol showed video clips of themselves at work, explaining how various traumas can be repaired - sometimes through surgery but most times without. The specialists also both noted that South Africa - a country in the world's top five for murder and the top 10 for road deaths was the best place for trauma surgeons to practise their surgical skills.

"This is an absolute paradise if you happen to be a trauma surgeon," quipped Nicol. "There's a huge potential for research."

"We are fortunate that in South Africa we can maintain skills," said Navsaria. "It's sickly fascinating, but I think being a trauma surgeon is the best job in the world."

Download podcasts of both talks.


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