The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has worked closely with the medical arm of Rotary, ROMAC (Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children) throughout 2011 to facilitate the medical visits of this group, along with family members to support them during their recovery.

A departmental spokesman said Christmas time was a good opportunity to acknowledge the work of ROMAC and the medical teams around Australia, who in many cases have saved lives as well as improved the health of children, in cases where they may not have access to advanced medical treatment in their own country.

“The department’s health section had worked tirelessly to fast-track visas for these children and their carers, especially in critical medical cases for some children such as baby Santa, who have been brought to Australia within 48 hours of their birth for life-saving surgery,” the spokesman said.

The group of 27 consists of 16 girls and 11 boys, including three babies under six months old. They were assessed and came to Australia from the Philippines, Cambodia, Timor Leste, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, Nauru, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Indonesia and Nepal.

The group has been treated at the Children’s, Mater and Wesley hospitals in Brisbane, Monash Medical Centre and Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Westmead and Randwick children’s hospitals, Sydney Heart Clinic and Concord Hospital in Sydney, Canberra Hospital and the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide.

Their treatment by some of Australia’s top surgeons has covered heart, brain, eye and tongue surgery, correction to facial disfigurement, gastrointestinal, urological, vascular and other complex conditions.

“The quiet-achieving work of ROMAC, the medical teams around Australia and other organisations such as DIAC who assist continues often without acknowledgement,” the spokesman said. “Their efforts mean that children like baby Santa will have the opportunity to lead normal lives and enjoy many Christmases into the future.”

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