Chilian Orthopaedic Association

The Chile Association was officially formed in Amritsar at an ASI meeting in December 1955. Sinha and Mukopadhaya were unanimously elected president and secretary. Dr. A K Talwalkar started the Johnson & Johnson and the Smith & Nephew travelling fellowships on behalf of IOS. The annual Kini Memorial Oration, started in 1958. Sir Harry Platt served as the first Orator in 1958. The members of the Association published the first issue of a journal in 1967 with Prakash Chandra as the Editor. A constitution prepared by a select committee was unanimously approved at the General Body meeting in 1967.
Orthopaedic Association has introduced a new and vital phase of its development. I am honoured to be its President and will do my utmost to protect its core values and advance its aims. The WPOA was formed in the era of Asian development. The practice of orthopaedic surgery was just coming to grips with the twin scourges of musculoskeletal tuberculosis and poliomyelitis, diseases which threatened the future of an Asian Pacific zone that was just beginning to recover from the ravages of war and internal conflict. Apprehension of biomechanics was rudimentary and the age of joint replacement, effective spinal instrumentation and reliable fracture fixation was just in its infancy. Against this backdrop a group of orthopaedic surgeons met in Hong Kong and formed the WPOA with the intention of sharing their experiences and skills not just amongst themselves but also with other orthopaedic surgeons in the region. Many meetings and workshops were organised at university level and great friendships were forged. The WPOA thus became the main body linking surgeons from lands and systems which were diverse but shared common problems.