Dr Hermann Oberli, shared more than three decades of experience building sustainable trauma and orthopaedic care in the Solomon Islands and across the Pacific.

The session brought together clinicians and trainees both in person and online from Australia, New Zealand and Europe. Dr Oberli’s presentation explored the realities of delivering trauma care in low‑resource, geographically dispersed environments, highlighting both the clinical challenges and the long‑term system solutions required for sustainable change.

Dr Oberli outlined the major barriers to trauma care in the Solomon Islands, including delayed patient presentation due to transport limitations, workforce shortages, limited infrastructure, infection risk in open fractures, and scarce diagnostic and surgical resources. Through powerful clinical case examples, he demonstrated how simple, context‑appropriate solutions—rather than high‑cost technology—can significantly improve patient outcomes.

A central theme of the presentation was sustainability. Dr Oberli emphasised that long‑term progress depends on three core pillars:

• Infrastructure and appropriate equipment,
• Local training and education, and
• Data and digital systems to support continuous improvement.

He described the development of locally led orthopaedic training in the Solomon Islands, the establishment of the Pacific Islands Orthopaedic Association (PIOA), and the importance of visiting specialists acting as teachers and mentors rather than primary operators. Many Solomon Islands clinicians trained through these programmes are now consultants and educators, ensuring ongoing local capacity.

The presentation also addressed the role of telemedicine, innovation in low‑cost surgical techniques, and the challenges of data collection and follow‑up in remote settings. Dr Oberli spoke candidly about setbacks and failed projects, reinforcing the importance of adapting to local realities and maintaining long‑term partnerships.

This event offered a rare and compelling insight into global surgery, humanitarian medicine, and the leadership required to create lasting impact in resource‑limited environments.