Overseas Specialist Surgical Association of Australia Inc

ossaa is a not-for-profit non-government organisation based in adelaide, south australia and established in 2002. ossaa provides major surgery for poor people in timor leste and eastern indonesia who suffer from burns, cleft palates, congenital defects, leprosy, disease, cysts, tumours and trauma. it also provides capacity-building for local doctors and staff. our australian voluntary surgical teams typically consist of a surgeon, anaesthetist, support nursing staff and an interpreter. specialties include reconstructive surgery, ent, orthopaedic surgery and general surgery. we operate on a tiny budget delivering huge outcomes. less than 13% of our budget is spent on administration. all fundraising is undertaken on a voluntary basis. we estimate the average cost of each major surgical procedure to be little more than $200. our patients live in the poorest regions of their countries, with very limited access to health care, especially surgical services. most travel long distances for s