Paddy awarded Kosovo’s highest humanitarian honour for his help

Wangaratta-born paediatric surgeon Paddy Dewan, has been awarded Kosovo’s highest honour for humanitarian service following decades of volunteer medical work in developing countries. The respected surgeon and urologist has completed 151 trips to developing countries, alongside a distinguished medical career in Australia. Professor Dewan describes himself as a “proud Wang boy”, having grown up in a family well known to locals. “My father ran a bicycle shop until 1963, then my mother opened a handcraft shop and taught me how to sew,” he said. Professor Dewan said his education at St Bernard’s Primary, then Champagnat College where he graduated as dux, "taught me that being kind was an important part of life”. He said motivation for his work stems from his upbringing in Wangaratta, specifically "a great sense of community and helping one another". Professor Dewan's first life-changing experience was in 1989, when he joined a team from England, Ireland, and Scotland to assist after a train disaster in Russia. He worked with children in Chelyabinsk, where 150 people had been burnt. He describes this experience as "the opportunity to use my developing skills in Central Russia". "There was a huge amount of satisfaction helping on that outreach trip, I caught the bug and have been doing it ever since," he said. His volunteer work spans 23 countries, where he has provided treatment to more than 10,000 children who would otherwise have had limited access to specialist care through "Kind Cuts for Kids," an Australian not-for-profit organisation committed to providing specialist medical care for children in developing countries around the world. Some 16 of Professor Dewan's visits have been to Kosovo, where he continues to perform complex procedures while training local surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses. Last week, during a visit in which he treated 30 patients and performed 20 complex surgeries, the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani Sadriu, awarded him the Saint Teresa Presidential Medal, the nation’s highest recognition for humanitarian contribution. The honour acknowledges individuals who have made exceptional and lasting impacts on the people of Kosovo. Professor Dewan said he was honoured and humbled to be recognised by the Kosovo government. "Every time I get a successful outcome with a child, which has been thousands of kids around the world and in Australia, you don't need any more reward than that," he said. "It is so gratifying to a mother or father in tears of joy because of a positive outcome from a big operation." Kind Cuts for Kids operates on a lean budget, with all donations going directly to teaching surgeons, nurses, assistants, and radiologists in developing countries. Professor Dewan said he hopes his recognition will inspire others to get involved in similar work. "The most positive thing about what I do in these places is see that people are wanting to do things to the world's best practice through attention to detail, not the need for fancy equipment," he said. "Every donation goes directly to support operations and teaching medical professionals, every cent goes a long way." For more information or to support Kind Cuts For Kids, visit https://www.kindcutsforkids.net/.

Paddy awarded Kosovo’s highest humanitarian honour for his help

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