BUILDING A NATIONAL SURGICAL OBSTETRIC AND ANAESTHESIA PLAN FOR A PACIFIC SMALL ISLAND NATION melanie.m.flaherty@gmail.com

PW03-09

BUILDING A NATIONAL SURGICAL OBSTETRIC AND ANAESTHESIA PLAN FOR A PACIFIC SMALL ISLAND NATION

5

New Zealand

Oral or Poster

The National Surgical Obstetric and Anaesthesia Plan (N-SOAP) template provides countries with a method to create individualised and specific policy proposals to increase emergency and essential surgical, obstetric and anaesthesia services. Formation of the plans requires detailed quantitative and qualitative data collection, knowledge of local policy and substantial time. The Pacific Island country of Samoa started their N-SOAP in early 2024 but an overwhelmed workforce delayed progress.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) in Samoa collaborated with an external group composed of a Senior Academic Surgeon with experience in the region and a research fellow to complete Samoa’s N-SOAP.

The MoH and the external consultant group utilised short targeted and intense visits to collect quantitative and qualitative data from over 40 medical providers from all eleven health care facilities in Samoa. These data were used to generate a SWOT analysis and 30 specific, actionable recommendations. These were then analysed by a team of stakeholders within the community, hospital and government to generate Samoa’s N-SOAP. The use of an external team to work with the Ministry of Health in Samoa to develop their N-SOAP allowed for the document to be completed within one year. Local providers were able to oversee the formation of the draft and give direct input while continuing to provide patient care.

Use of the this model could be beneficial to other countries who are creating a N-SOAP.