Dr Tim Proudman takes his Adelaide plastic and reconstructive surgery skill to fix unmet needs in Himalayas's Bhutan
Adelaide plastic and reconstructive surgery specialist Dr Tim Proudman, with wife Susanna, a professor and director of rheumatology at Royal Adelaide Hospital. At right: Proudman operating on a patient in Bhutan as part of voluntary medical work by the Australian division of the Interplast charity.
Dr Tim Proudman’s role as head of the plastic and reconstructive surgery unit at Queen Elizabeth and Women’s and Children’s hospitals, in Adelaide was supplemented by eight years volunteering in Bhutan to attend the victims of burns and bear attacks.
The Bhutan work was part of work by the Australian division of Interplast that sends teams of volunteer plastic and reconstructive surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and allied health professionals to provide life-changing surgery and medical training in 17 countries across Asia Pacific. Treatment for burns in Bhutan was limited with most people living remote areas in Himalayas foothills. Many burns, especially of small children, result from kerosene used for cooking and heating. Facial injuries caused by black bears in Bhutan forests were also challenging.
Many patients for the Interplast team were farmers who depended their being able to do manual labour to make living in a country with a limited welfare system. While Bhutan had several major hospitals, many patients were in remote clinics and Interplast Australia helped to provide clinical support through email and training via Zoom, as well as providing regular visits from Australian specialists.
Dr Proudman was a key player in a significant step towards fixing the unmet need for plastic and reconstructive surgery in Bhutan. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when Interplast teams weren’t able to visit Bhutan, Proudman gave 80 online lectures to young Bhutanese general surgeon Dr Sonam Jamtsho Jamtsho later was able to come to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Adelaide to train with Proudman to become Bhutan’s first plastic and reconstructive surgery specialist.
Proudman, who also took his teaching role to remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory, was awarded a member of the Order of Australia honour for his work. In 2021, Proudman was diagnosed with a glioblastoma, a deadly brain tumour. He continued his devotion to the Interplast cause, hosting an event – Operation Happiness – at home with his wife Susanna, a professor and director of rheumatology at Royal Adelaide Hospital, raising $100,000 for the charity.
