During 2019 we were not able to deliver our annual orthoplastic training in Sudan due to the ongoing political instability making it unsafe. There will be no BSSH visit to Tanzania in 2019. The initial visit in December 2018 identified the need for a BFIRST delivered flap course in 2019 followed by a BSSH hand trauma visit in spring 2020

One of our major achievements in 2019 has been to consolidate the overseas teaching resource which is now in the members section of BSSH website. It covers the whole of the non-elective portion of the hand syllabus and is available to all BSSH members performing overseas work. Under the leadership of Wee Lam we have commenced monthly webinars using Zoom teleconferencing facilities

We will have awarded 5 fellowships during 2019. Three UK trainees have been supported to join BSSH projects David Bodansky to Ethiopia, David Izadi to Sierra Leone and Shan Shan to Malawi. Two surgeons from our overseas projects have been supported to travel to the UK to speak at our BSSH/BFIRST Educational Day in Edinburgh and then undergo two weeks as observers. Tanveer Ahmed from Bangladesh will observe hand trauma in Leeds and congenital had at Greta Ormond Street. Peter Mwandinga from Tanzania will observe hand trauma in NW England.