Report of my trip to South East Asian Countries in March 2013
 Taiwan : 9th to 13th March 2013

 I arrived in Taipei on 9th March snd same evening I had dinner with committee members of TOWCNA ( Taiwan Ostomy Wound Continence Nurse Association ) . President of TOWCNA is Ms Po-Jui Yu. She is an ET & is also lecturer in School of Nursing in National Taiwan University. She also is a President of Taiwan Ostomy Association. Ms Elaine Chug, Regional Business Manger, from Coloplast Hong Kong was also present for this dinner. There were many old friends whom I knew from my previous trip to Taiwan in September/ October 2012.It was a nice feeling & renewal of friendship.

We travelled to Tainan which is city in South of Taiwan. I had a lecture in Patient Club of Kaoshiung Medical University Hospital (Kaohsiung city  about an hour driving distance from Tainan), Topic: "Living with Stoma". There were about 30-35 patients & care givers. Ms Amy Mei-Chuan Lin who was head nurse & an ET running a stoma clinic in that hospital translated my lecture in local language. Prof. of Surgery Dr Jaw-Yuan Wang  also attended my lecture & told at the end how much surgeons need to know about the needs of the ostomates. Mr Patrick Wong from Coloplat HK so as Ms. Teresa Lee ,manger Coloplast Taiwan and her local team was also present.

 I had very good response in 2nd meeting in  Patient Club in Changhua Christian Hospital (Central of Taiwan Near Taichung city 90 mins. drive from Taichung city), Topic: “Living with stoma”  for ostomates  where Prof. Dr Chen HOD of Division of  Colorectal surgery, him self translated my lecture. He was very pleased on the response from patients & care givers at the end of lecture. He also commented that there are many aspects of Ostomate’s life he understood that day.There were about 80 ostomates and care givers who attended that meeting.

Entire Taiwan team of Coloplast lead by Ms. Teresa Lee, Manager for Taiwan deserves an applaud & congratulations from me for making all arrangements for me to have a very comfortable stay in Taiwan. Most important aspect is that they are friendly & kind in nature.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 14th to 16th March2013

Then I travelled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 13th march 2013. Ms Fiona Tai of Coloplast Hong Kong & Ms Pui San Lim ( Coloplast ) of UITM which a distrubutors of Coloplast in Malaysia looked after me in KL.

 Ms Teresa Lee, Manager Coloplast Taiwan was also present for Coloproctolgy meeting in KL with ET from Taipei who also gave a very good account of stoma care in Taiwan in English.

I had good meeting in KL and presentations went well & were received well by almost 100 nurses & few doctors in Associate specialist meeting of division of Coloproctology Surgeons meeting. My lectures were and Psycho social issues of Ostomates Stoma care Training in Asia.  Mrs Mariam had organised this meeting..I had long chat with Mrs Revathy Ramamurthy, an ET and  a Metron in Government Hospital in KL. during my stay in KL.

Mrs Mariam, Vice President , MOSA, An ET & President of Malaysian ET Nurses Association ( METNA ), Metron of University Of Malay Medical Center ( UMMC ) told me that MOSA have by now 70 members.!! Coloproctology surgical meeting had 400 surgeons attending the scientific lectures. I attended few of them on 16th ( 2nd day ), It was of very high quality seminar.

I met few of my old friends ( Colorectal surgeons from Malaysia , India & Sri Lanka (Dr Kemal Deen ). He also has promised to organise training workshop in Sri Lanka under “Lions For Stoma Care " in last week of December 2013 / first week of January 2014. He knows Mr Eric Chan , Coloplast HK well & I met Coloplast distributor from Sri Lanka on the last Day of the conference. Dr Ms April, Colorectal Surgeon from UMMC wanted me to give a lecture on Irrigation but I declined on being given only 10 mins. for the same and I did not have the presentation as I had declined to give talk on the subject long before the conferance.

Mrs Pui San Lim, Coloplast manager from UITM, Malaysia  & her team looked after me very well a d were always looking for how to make me more comfortable during my stay in KL. Singapore : 17th to 19th March 2013 In Singapore it was very productive visit. Mrs Lynette  Lai, manager, Coloplast Singapore and her team must have really worked hard to arrange all these meetings at different hospitals and at Singapore Cancer Society (SCS) with Ostomates and CEO and other support staff at SCS.  15 ostomates were trained for Visitor training which lasted for over 3 hrs 30 mins and certificate that were given to ostomates who attended this training, had signature of CEO of SCS along with mine.This was a big achievement for ASPOA. CEO Mr Albert Ching  and  Ms Lucy Lim, Manager Cancer Support Services, Programme & Services Division, along with a surgeon Dr Kevin Sng & 2ETs from Changi General Hospital (CGH) and 1 National University Hospital (NUH) attended along with ET Ms Ong Choo Eng from Singapore General Hospital (SGH).This was an interactive session.

We had very good breakfast meeting next day at SCS with Mr Albert Ching , CEO and his team. It was almost for two hrs that we discussed various aspects on how to go about forming National ostomates organisation under SCS & he has agreed to extend all the help and
resources of SCS to do that. We also had discussion about needy ostomates & how SCS can help taking advantage of newly launched package of Ostomy products ( lauched by Coloplast at Half the price) for needy patients including receiving donations from different companies.

After that meeting I am convinced that National organisation will be formed soon. Mr Shiv Raj Kapor and Mr Teo , both ostomates from SGH support group, also were very happy about the out come of the meeting with SCS. It appears that Mr Teo will be the President and Mr Shiv Raj Kapoor will be secretory of National Ostomy Association of Singapore under SCS.

 I met three colorectal surgeons from three different hospitals in Singapore.  Dr Tan Kok Yang of Khoo Teck Paut Hospital (KTPH), Dr Kevin Kaity Sng & Mrs Nur Madalinah ,Senior Staff nurse of Changi General Hospital (CGH) & Dr Cheong Wai Kit ,HOD Division of Colorectal Surgery of National University Health System, Singapore (NUHS ) & discussed with them on how to start local hospital support group in their hospital which will join in National association under SCS & all have agreed to lend full support from them. I also met Ms Dincy Lim Chair person & her team of support group in Tan Tock Seng Hospital   (TTSH). She had some reservations about National organisation but eventually came around about this idea after our meeting & discussions. In fact she organised a lovely dinner for me & Lynette & one of my surgeon friend from her hospital ( Dr Sameer Junnarkar specialised in Liver & pancreatic surgery ) in the elite club of Singapore where bigwigs of Singapore are the members. It was a very nice evening.

I must thank Mrs  Lynette Lai, as she was with me both the days all the time inspite the fact that her eldest son was running high fever & her inlaws had to look after him while she was with me all this time.

 Mr Patric Wong, Senior Manager, Asian Emerging markets of Coloplast  Hongkong and his teams in all these countries are fantastic & very good Human beings who want to help ostomates for better life with – out expecting financial gain through business. He has passed on his values to his team members to help ostomates in all these countries extremely well and successfully.
 Talk to you some time in near future.
Thanks and regards,
Harikesh.