Organising Societies

Persatuan Kakitangan Anestesiologi Hospital Umum Sarawak (PEKA-HUS)

Persatuan Kakitangan Anestesiologi Hospital Umum Sarawak (PEKA-HUS) or The Association of Staffs in Anaesthesiology of Sarawak General Hospital is an institutional society established on 25 March 2018 which coordinates the practice and training of anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine via various training and educational activities. PEKA-HUS is also dedicated in strengthening the profession of anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine, as well as promoting the well-being of its members.

The board members of PEKA-HUS have wide experience in organising national and international events in partnership with other professional societies, namely the 7th Paediatric Anaesthesia & Analgesia Workshop 2010, the 12th Asian & Oceanic Society of Regional Anaesthesia & Pain Medicine Congress 2013, the Borneo Obstetric Anaesthesia Symposium 2014, the 6th Annual Asia-Pacific ICU Rehabilitation Conference 2019, the Neuroanaesthesia Symposium 2017 and 2021 (virtual), and Sarawak Medico-Legal Conference combined with the Medico-Legal Society of Malaysia- Medico-Legal Society of Singapore Joint Seminar 2022.

PEKA-HUS is currently digitalising its educational activities during this new norm, among them are the Webinars in Neuroanaesthesiology 2021-2022 and the Anaesthesiology Updates 2021-2022 series in collaboration with the Malaysian Society of Neuroanaesthesiology and Neurocritical Care (MSNACC) and the University of Washington, Seattle respectively which have reached out to even a wider range of audience nationwide. The close partnership between PEKA-HUS and MSNACC has also brought to fruition of virtual regional Neurocritical Care Conference 2022, in-person Neuroanaesthesia Symposium 2023 combined with Anaesthesiology Updates 2023, and optimistically the organisation of Asian Pacific Neurocritical Care Conference 2024 and the 9th Congress of Asian Society for Neuroanaesthesia and Critical Care 2027 in Kuching, Sarawak.

Malaysian Society of Neuroanaesthesiology and Neurocritical Care (MSNACC)

There is an emerging number of anaesthesiologists with special interest in perioperative neurosciences from public, private and university hospitals in Malaysia. This subsequently catalyses the formation of Malaysian Society of Neuroanaesthesiology and Neurocritical Care (MSNACC) on 28 May 2021. The MSNACC is a non-profitable, self-generating professional body that remains very close in affiliation with the College of Anaesthesiologists, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia. Through its small but growing number of members, MSNACC aims to facilitate educational activities and development of guidelines on neuroanaesthesiology and neurocritical care in Malaysia. MSNACC also organises educational programme, formal attachments, workshops, international and national conferences, and local training platforms, all for the betterment of perioperative neurosciences in Malaysia.

Difficult Airway Society (DAS)

The Difficult Airway Society (DAS) is a UK-based medical specialist society that focuses on airway management for patients by anaesthetists and critical care practitioners. It originated from meetings held at Guy’s Hospital, London, starting in 1987, dedicated to promoting the use of fibreoptic intubation for managing difficult airways. The transition from fibreoptic intubation meetings to a broader difficult airway meeting happened in 1995. Dr. Adrian Pearce and Dr. Ralph Vaughan played significant roles in the development of airway management courses and the establishment of a formal airway management society. DAS has held annual meetings since 1995, growing substantially to become the second largest anaesthetic specialist society in the UK, with over 3500 members. DAS is also recognised for its airway guidelines which are used not only in the UK, but across the world. Over the years DAS has published highly cited guidelines in unanticipated difficult airways, airway management in critical care, obstetrics and paediatrics, extubation, awake tracheal intubation and human factors.

Singapore Society of Anaesthesiologists (SSA)

The Singapore Society of Anaesthesiologists (SSA) is a professional medical society open to all registered medical practitioners engaged in the practice of anaesthesia. We welcome anaesthesia specialists, trainees, residents, fellows, and medical officers to join us. Allied healthcare professionals & medical students with an interest in anaesthesia, perioperative care, critical care, and pain medicine may join SSA as Associate Members. The SSA organises and sanctions educational events that promote learning and interaction for its members.

Special Interest Group in Difficult Airway Management (SIGDAM)

The Special Interest Group in Difficult Airway Management (SIGDAM) College of Anaesthesiologists was formed in 2019 with the vision to improve patient care through promotion and dissemination of evidence-based airway management practices by anaesthesiologists and other healthcare practitioners. To achieve these aims, SIGDAM is committed in providing educational resources, hands-on training and facilitate research directed at improving difficult airway management. SIGDAM is part of the College of Anaesthesiologists, Malaysia and was previously known simply as the Special Interest Group for Airway Management. The rebranding is not only in name but is also part of strengthening the aims mentioned above. The members of SIGDAM are actively involved in teaching and training of airway management at scientific meetings and airway specific events. In February 2021, after temporary hiatus due to Covid-19 outbreak, SIGDAM organised the Peri-operative Airway Management Workshop, an online programme with involvement of Prof. Orlando Hung from Dalhousie University, Canada. After movement and physical activities were allowed, we had active participation in workshops and plenaries in the Malaysian Society of Anaesthesiologists & CoA Annual Scientific Congress 2021 until 2023. In addition, SIGDAM members were frequently invited by health institutions and trade as speakers and facilitators in various airway management workshops throughout the country. SIGDAM’s future endeavours would be to publish airway management-related research, reviews, and statements to help translate evidence-based knowledge into clinical practice. To promote improvements in safety and quality of airway management in other disciplines, SIGDAM is looking forward to collaborating and facilitate the activities of non-anaesthesia airway management bodies and programmes. This initiative would encourage supportive and productive relations between the members of all interested parties in airway management regardless of their medical discipline and profession.