Canberra Hospital and Health Services
Policy
Rotary Oceanic Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC)
Policy Statement
This policy clarifies the responsibilities of Canberra Hospital and Health Services (CHHS) and Rotary Oceanic Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) when care and treatment is provided to babies and children at the CHHS under the ROMAC program.
Purpose
To provide guidance and consistency in the processes related to the acceptance and treatment of children into the ROMAC program at the Canberra Hospital and Health Services.
Background
Rotary Oceanic Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) Ltd is a humanitarian program of the 29 Rotary Districts of Australia and New Zealand. Around 30 – 40 children a year are brought to Australia and New Zealand from surrounding developing countries. ROMAC helps to provide life saving and dignity restoring surgery to these children. Many of the cases come from remote areas where treatment is not available.
- ROMAC started in the ACT in 2006.
- ROMAC is managed by Regional committees in all areas of Australia and New Zealand. It is administered by voluntary Rotarians. There are no paid staff.
- ROMAC does not receive financial support from the Australian or New Zealand Government.
- ROMAC relies on the generosity of the ACT Government and ACT Health Directorate, Surgeons, and funds raised by Rotary Clubs.
- In recognition of the clinical care and support provided by the ACT Health Directorate, Rotary International is encouraged to support the Canberra Hospital Foundation through an appropriate donation supporting the betterment of health services in the Canberra Region. ROMAC has agreed to commit $5000 per ‘accepted’ patient to the Canberra Hospital Foundation.
Scope
This policyappliesto all ACT Health Directorate staff involved in the decisions around the acceptance and treatment of a child into the ROMAC program at Canberra Hospital and Health Services. This policy specifically applies to the CHHS Paediatric Department, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Operating Theatres andthe Intensive Care Unit.
Roles & Responsibilities
The ACT Health Directorate will support up to four children each year to receive care and treatment at the CHHS under the ROMAC program.
The ROMAC Medical Director must contact the Paediatric Surgical Consultant on Call at the Canberra Hospital in the first instance to advise of a child that requires treatment.
The Paediatric Surgical Consultant on Call is to liaise and seek approval (may be via meeting, teleconference or email) with all key stakeholders which may include the following:
- Executive Director – Surgery and Oral Health
- Operating Theatres
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- Paediatric Unit, Paediatric surgeon
- Anaesthetist
- Intensive Care Unit to discuss the clinical capacity to accept the child.
These stakeholders will aim to ensure that:
- No Australian child will be disadvantaged by the acceptance of the case.
- A clinical lead (usually the Paediatric Surgeon) for the child’s care isselected.
- The Executive Director, Women, Youth and Children endorses the decision to accept the child.
The clinical lead is responsible for contacting the requesting ROMAC Medical Director to advise whether CHHS has accepted the child under the ROMAC program. If the child is accepted, the clinical lead will finalise arrangements for transport to Canberra Hospital so that the child can receive treatment.
The Executive Director, Women, Youth and Childrenthen:
- Advises ROMAC in writing of the decision regarding accepting or not accepting the child;
- Arranges for details of the child to be obtained and added to the Canberra Hospital ROMAC database which is administered by the office of the Executive Director, Division of Women, Youth and Children;
- Advises the Financial Management, Debt recovery section, of the acceptance of the child into the ROMAC program and provides them with the details of the child.
- Briefs the Deputy Director-General of Canberra Hospital and Health Services of the details of the child.
The ACT Health Directorate is unable to guarantee that fees for services provided by private Visiting Medical Officers (VMOs) will not be charged. If possible, services should be provided by ACT Health Directorate employees rather than VMOs or other private providers.
In the event that the accepted ROMAC child is transferred to another tertiary paediatric facility for intensive care treatment, Canberra Hospital and Health Services will bear the cost for transfer to the accepting facility.
Search Terms
ROMAC, Rotary Oceanic Medical Aid for Children
Disclaimer: This document has been developed by ACT Health, Canberra Hospital and Health Services specifically for its own use. Use of this document and any reliance on the information contained therein by any third party is at his or her own risk and Health Directorate assumes no responsibility whatsoever.
Date Amended / Section Amended / Approved ByEg: 17 August 2014 / Section 1 / ED/CHHSPC Chair
Doc Number / Version / Issued / Review Date / Area Responsible / Page
CHHS17/193 / 1 / 09/08/2017 / 01/08/2021 / WY&C / 1 of 3
Do not refer to a paper based copy of this policy document. The most current version can be found on the ACT Health Policy Register