GHC Blog: Steve Sato

Steve Sato MBBS I

Wednesday, June 30th:

Excited for what was in store for us, Alex (Soobratty) and I touched down in beautiful Hobart just after 4pm. After being shuttled to and checking in at the Wrest Point Hotel, our new home for the next four nights, we boarded busses just in time to attend a welcome reception at the spectacular home of the Governor of Tasmania. This was a great opportunity to meet and greet delegates from across Australia and New Zealand and even a few from overseas, as well as to assemble with fellow UQ delegates. The highlights of the night for me included shaking hands with the governor himself, indulging in caviar for the first time, receiving a partial tour of the home from one of the security personnel and meeting a delegate named Apil from Nepal (a soon-to-be GHC celebrity, who had left Nepal for the first time to join us in Hobart).

Thursday, July 1st:

After a restful night’s sleep, we made the morning hike up to the UTAS campus to begin Day One of the conference. Kicking off the conference as the first plenary speaker was a woman whom I felt was one of, if not the most, captivating, controversial and influential speakers at the conference–Dr. Helen Caldicott, a Nobel Peace Prize Nominee and the inaugural Australian Peace Prize recipient for her efforts in raising awareness about the medical, environmental and international hazards of nuclear power and nuclear arms. She opened my eyes to the world’s perilous growing reliance on nuclear power, addressing the environmental impact of developing this energy source, as well as the severity of the international nuclear arms race (or “missile envy” as she called it).

I was enrolled in the ‘Water Stream’, my first choice of five possible lecture streams (Water, Wind, Earth, Fire and Human). Our first speaker, Gerard Finnigan, opened our eyes to water quality and access issues in struggling African nations. I was particularly impressed with the value and effectiveness of oral rehydration packets, which cost mere pennies but save countless lives of children suffering from diarrhea—a leading cause of mortality in children under 5. This concept of simple and inexpensive tools to eradicate devastating diseases was reiterated in a subsequent lecture, which highlighted the efficacy of mosquito netting in malaria-borne areas. In the evening, we ventured to the International Food Fair, where we indulged in flavours from around the globe. In accordance with the conference’s eco-friendly principles and recognition of the environmental footprint generated by the meat-production process, the food fair, as well as the menu for the entire convention, was vegetarian only. I must admit this had concerned me, given my carnivorous eating habits, but I found that altering my diet for a few days wasn’t as bad as I had expected.

After feasting, I mingled with delegates and explored Caritas Australia’s ‘Blueprint for A Better World’ exhibition, which highlighted UN Millennium Goals and initiatives. After the fair, a group of our UQ representatives strolled down to an ice cream shop by the docks for some dessert—a nice way to end the day.

Friday, July 2nd:

Having arrived a little late to the University, Alex and I were left sitting in the ‘nosebleed’ section of the UTAS lecture theater. Nonetheless, I was immediately impressed by the eloquence of the first speaker, Senator Bob Brown, who enlightened us with his journey of rising from a GP in Tasmania, to becoming elected to the Australian Senate and later becoming leader of the Australian Green Party. Naturally, Brown spoke as the politician he was, but offered an interesting perspective into his eco-friendly mandate and initiatives. Brown outlined the catastrophic climate change, which we now face and described the importance of lobbying for ‘Green Energy’. Most vividly, he shared a story about the Canadian Environmental icon David Suzuki, who, when walking up to doors of a supermarket, was greeted by a sign reading “NO ANIMALS ALLOWED”. Suzuki then turned around, got back into his car and left, in search of a supermarket where he would be ALLOWED to shop. Brown explained that “we are all part of this biosphere” and therefore share the responsibility to protect our environment. Brown encouraged the young crowd to become involved in politics—“be the fulcrum of decision making for the future of the planet”. A memorable quote he shared was one by Margaret Thatcher, who once said that “every day we delay fixing climate change, it becomes more and more expensive to fix”—spoken like a true fiscal conservative, but an important point nonetheless, particularly for those sitting on the fence with regard to the climate change issue.

Next on the agenda, Reverend Tim Costello, renowned for being the voice of social justice issues, delivered a captivating presentation entitled “World Visions”. Costello contended that the world is a “global village” which requires global solutions that are very challenging to achieve. He made the point that nations are hesitant to act and lead by example because those that act first tend to pay the most. Leadership and ambition can set an example — 40million people in the US don’t “get a slice of the healthcare cake”, however President Obama’s new health plan ensures that, through higher taxes, those 40 million without insurance will be taken care of. Costello asserted that health care is a fundamental human right and spoke of Australia’s international obligation to its Pacific neighbours, including East Temor, where 97/1000 children die before the age of 5 (versus 5/1000 in Australia). The afternoon lecturer Professor Tony McMichael informed us of the impact that climate change has on health. He contrasted the already apparent consequences such as brush fires and heat waves, with probable outcomes including a rise in diarrheal and transmittable diseases as well as air pollution. I was briefly instilled with pride when McMichael shared the findings that unlike cows, Kangaroos do not burp nor fart methane, a major green house gas contributor and therefore we “should eat them” (instead)– something I’ve been doing for the last few months! Now, whether eating kangaroo meat has increased my contribution to greenhouse gases is a-whole-nother story… The day was capped off by the much-anticipated “Captain Planet (costume) Party” where many of the UQ delegates, including Alex and myself, donned garbage themed outfits as the antagonist in the “save the planet” theme. An authentic Tasmanian band, ‘Ganga Giri’ kept the planet-saving crowd dancing, offering a unique fusion of tribal beats with the didgeridoo. The old episodes of ‘Captain Planet’ being shown throughout the evening fondly took me back to my childhood.

Saturday, July 3rd:

Saturday began with some excellent speakers including Jeremy Picone, who provided a stunning visual update of the UN Millennium Goals. I was very encouraged and inspired to learn of the progress being made in deprived countries around the world. Infant and child mortality under 5 has been reduced to half, poverty is falling, life expectancy is increasing and incomes are rising. Nonetheless there is a long way to go and much work to be done, and barriers such as corruption and lack of resources must be overcome. I was interested to learn that educating and empowering women who act as the leaders of both their families and their villages has been very successful and has now become a focal UN initiative.

Given that Saturday was “Challenge Day”, the challenge activities kicked off just before lunch and I was quickly introduced to my team consisting of 1st to 4th year students. We were given a scenario in which we were a team of health professionals in a refugee camp. Our tasks ranged from triaging injured victims of warfare to designing a cholera outbreak facility. I was pleasantly surprised by my team’s enthusiasm and intensity and our ability to collaboratively make critical decisions under pressure and rigid time constraints, combining our varying levels of medical knowledge. The experience was indeed challenging and at times humbling, but a memorable and rewarding exercise nonetheless.

We were given the afternoon off to explore Hobart. After deciding that there was not enough daylight to hike Mount Wellington, Alex and I boarded the bus en route to the infamous ‘Salamanca market’, where we browsed and may have strayed slightly from our “no meat” plan by patronizing the ‘sausage sizzle’ vendor. This turned out to be a nice way to spend the afternoon.

In the evening, we attended the “Op Shop” Ball, sporting vintage, recycled attire. The food was excellent, as was an inspiring address from the guest speaker and retired Wallabies Football player, Dr. Mark Loane. But the highlight of the night was by far the dancing and conga lines instigated by one fabulous brass band—‘Fabio and the Jivemasters’.

Sunday, July 4th:

The conference came to a close with the keynote speaker Nick Baerlin-Allardice, the director of the environmental organization OzGreen. This young and charismatic speaker challenged us all to take immediate action. He asserted that although the conference has enhanced our awareness on critical global issues, being aware is not enough and taking action “now” to create change is crucial. An interesting suggestion was to ‘identify the people in your life that hold your values’ and to surround yourself with and work with them to uphold these values.

As the conference came to a close, thanks were given to the conveners and countless volunteers that put together what I felt was a well-run and memorable Global Health Conference. The aforementioned Apil made a short address to the crowd to highlight what a wonderful experience he had had at the conference, and how the previous night at the ball, was “my first time dancing”! And finally, in anticipation for next year, an impressive promotional video for the 2011 GHC in Sydney was shown–an event which I’ve certainly marked on my calendar!

I have come away from the conference both encouraged by ongoing global health initiatives and inspired to become further involved in global health development. I’m excited to be involved with both the Medical Aid Project and TIME and pleased that global health promotion and awareness is becoming a greater priority in medical school curricula, particularly at UQ. Attending the Global Health Conference in Hobart has been a highlight of my young medical school career and an opportunity that I will cherish for some time. I have gained new friends, ideas and the drive to be a part of the ‘change I want to see in the world’. For those considering attending a future GHC, it is one opportunity not to be missed.