Paediatric Orthopaedic surgeons in a few South-East Asia nations have been actively participating in medical outreach programs for the benefit of the children with musculoskeletal conditions and organising courses or workshops to train local surgeons to perform regular paediatric orthopaedic procedures in this region. The group has collaborated with POSNA to have the first biennial training course starting in 2005 (Figure 1), and have also actively participated in the travelling fellowship organised by Asia Pacific Paediatric Orthopaedic Society (APPOS) since its first program in 2008.

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A pro tem committee for the formation of the ASEAN Paediatric Orthopaedic Society (APOS) was set up in 2017 (Dr. Saw A, Dr. Ucok Siregar, Dr. Lee EH, Dr. Kanyika, Dr. Julyn A). On 10th May 2018, representatives of paediatric orthopaedic surgeons from most of the ASEAN nations attended the inaugural meeting for the society during the annual scientific meeting of Malaysian Orthopaedic Association (MOA) in Penang, Malaysia (Figure 2). Dr. Ucok Siregar was elected as the first president of APOS, while Dr. James Hui Ho Poh and Dr. Saw Aik as vice president and secretary general (Figure 3). On the 1st November 2019, during the annual general meeting in Singapore, Dr. James Hui Ho Poh was elected as the president of APOS, while Dr. Julyn Aguilar and Dr. Saw Aik were elected as the vice president and secretary general. During this meeting, APOS has registered 188 members from countries including Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

 

Over the last few years, APOS has communicated with International Federation of Paediatric Orthopaedic Societies (IFPOS) and Paediatric Orthopaedic of North America (POSNA). APOS is now the affiliated societies of these international and regional organizations. We have planned for some training courses including the 2021 biennial POSNA APOS course in Indonesia, but unfortunately it had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. APOS is hoping to organise more training courses for its members, collaborate with medical outreach societies to help patients and doctors who are not able to travel far, and promote sharing of knowledge with the rest of the whole through various research projects.