It couldn’t happen without them. We’re extremely grateful to all the volunteers who help us provide free surgeries and procedures to eligible patients in our community. From greeting families when they walk in, to making cups of tea and having a friendly chat, through to the clinical staff and specialists doing the mahi behind the scenes. We see every one of you and thank you for your efforts!
Let’s meet three of the clinical staff who volunteered their time at our most recent Community Surgery Day in September.
From left: Anaesthetist Dr Dilraj Thind, Paediatric Surgeon and Urologist Dr Askar Kukkady, and Braemar Hospital Theatre Coordinator and Senior Nurse Armand Casantosan.
Dr Dilraj Thind - Anaesthetist
Hi Dilraj, thanks for sharing your time and skills at our recent Community Surgery Day. As an anaesthetist, why were you keen to get involved?
Well, the reason I got into this field of medicine is because I truly enjoy what I do, so it was a no-brainer to offer to help on the day for some very worthy recipients of the Community Surgery Programme.
That’s great! Why do you love what you do?
It might sound a bit mad, but I genuinely enjoy administering and monitoring anaesthesia. To me, anaesthesia is miraculous - most surgeries can’t happen without it. I often think of the quote by Arthur C Clarke – “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,” so I feel quite lucky to be able to help patients in this way.
We hear this is your second Community Surgery Day too, why were you keen to help again?
Last year’s surgery day was fantastic; it ran very efficiently, and you could tell all the volunteers were excited to be part of a good cause. It was great to be part of such a cohesive team working together to get great outcomes for our patients. Naturally I wanted to help again this year.
Tell us a bit about your role, where are you based and what does an average day look like for you?
In short, there is no average day! I’m based primarily at Waikato Hospital, but also do some private practice. There’s generally a mix of elective surgeries and emergencies at Waikato, whereas in the private sector its predominantly elective so I find there’s generally a wide spread of cases to work on.
How did you get into anaesthetics?
I grew up in Gloucestershire in the UK and was reasonably good at science and maths at school, so my teachers encouraged me to consider medicine. After qualifying and working across the field, including emergency medicine and psychiatrics, I decided to pursue anaesthetics – and here I am!
Well, we’re glad you did! Thank you again for your support of our Community Surgery Day.
It’s my pleasure, I hope to be back next year!
Dr Askar Kukkady - Paediatric Surgeon and Urologist
Askar, it was great to have you as part of our Community Surgery Day. Why did you take part?
Thank you, it was great to be there. My main reason for volunteering was to help those children who have been on the public waiting list for longer than is ideal. To do a few hour-long procedures on the day makes a big difference to not only the children we saw, but their families as well – their anxiety and worry have been completely lifted because of these surgeries and that’s a great feeling. Some families have been waiting over a year to get an operation and that is simply not acceptable.
Now, these children can go back to playing pain-free, without the risk of their condition getting worse the longer its left untreated and potentially having to look at larger, more complex surgeries in the future.
We know you’re no stranger to volunteering either. Can you tell us about your other volunteering experiences?
I also volunteer with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Global Health programme in Samoa, where I spend a week, each year performing paediatric surgery cases and then remain in contact with doctors there to provide advice and support in managing children with surgical problems.
Sounds like you must get a lot out of volunteering.
I do – and I’d like to do more, particularly in parts of the world that are more in need of such services. Even before I started my training I wanted to specialise in paediatrics, and surgery in particular. I became a doctor to help people, so opportunities like this (the Community Surgery Programme) are very worthy opportunities to help people who are in need and I’m very proud to contribute.
In addition to volunteering, we know you are very busy in your ‘day job’ too – where do you normally practice, and what is your focus?
I am based at Waikato Hospital as a senior paediatric surgeon and paediatric urologist, and at Tauranga Hospital as a visiting paediatric surgeon, as well as having a private practice in Hamilton and Tauranga. I deal with a wide range of surgical issues affecting newborns, infants, children and adolescents.
Armand Casantosan - Theatre Coordinator and Senior Nurse
Hi Armand! Tell us a bit about yourself, where are you from, and why did you get into nursing?
I grew up in the Philippines where I received a scholarship to study nursing. I have always had a passion for caring for people, and now I get to put that passion to great use caring for patients. It can be scary coming into the hospital! So, my focus is on giving patients a smiling face, a caring eye and the reassurance they are under the very best care.
That does sound very reassuring, especially if someone is coming in for a surgical procedure. It sounds like you’ve got a bit of experience under your belt.
I’ve been nursing for a very long time! More than 30 years. I’ve spent time nursing in the Philippines, but also Saudi Arabia, and Canada, where I worked for 15 years. I’ve been in New Zealand since 2018, where I worked in private hospitals in Auckland and then in Whangarei for a few years before coming to Braemar Hospital as Theatre Coordinator in June 2025.
And now we’re lucky to have you as our Theatre Coordinator – what does that involve?
I report into the lovely Kate Wilson (Theatre Manager), and my role as coordinator is to oversee the day-to-day theatre activities – staffing, theatre processes and generally making sure everyone has what they need to carry out their surgeries.
You were quick to put your hand up to volunteer for Community Surgery Day (which we love to see!) – why are you keen to help?
For me, it’s about giving back. Nursing has given me so much – I’ve been able to travel, earn a living and follow my passion and interests at the same time. Volunteering and giving back are a part of who I am, and I feel blessed to be in a position where I can help.
And we feel blessed to have your help! What did your role involve on the day?
Assisting in theatre - providing care to patients before, during and after their surgery. My goal was to make sure that every patient felt extremely well-cared for and confident that they had the very best help.
