Established as the first WFSA Fellowship in 1996, Bangkok Anaesthesia Regional Training Centre (BARTC) has trained 97 anaesthesiologists from six countries who have returned home to lead, teach, and improve patient care across Asia.
In 2026, WFSA is celebrating 30 years of its Fellowship Programme, a milestone that began with a pioneering partnership in Thailand.
The BARTC, was established in 1996 as the inaugural WFSA Fellowship programme. Created in response to a critical shortage of trained anaesthesia professionals across Asia, BARTC became the foundation of a regional training model that has since helped shape anaesthesia education and leadership across the region.
To mark its own 30th anniversary, BARTC has produced a special video reflecting on three decades of collaboration, training, and impact.
A Shared Vision
According to BARTC founder Professor Thara Tritrakan, the programme began with a simple but ambitious goal: helping neighbouring countries address the shortage of trained anaesthesiologists.
“At that time, there was a shortage of anaesthesiologists around the world. WFSA asked us to help neighbouring countries. After organising refresher courses in Vietnam, we proposed bringing fellows to Thailand for training. Many institutions across Thailand were happy and ready to support the programme.”
What began with BARTC has grown into the truly global WFSA Fellowship Programme we see today. Building on the success of the first fellowship in Thailand, WFSA has established fellowship partnerships around the world, supporting more than 500 fellows from 71 countries across multiple anaesthesia specialties, subspecialties, and non-clinical areas including medical education, simulation, and anaesthesia research.
BARTC itself has trained nearly 100 fellows from six countries and has since expanded beyond general anaesthesia to include WFSA Fellowships in Paediatric Anaesthesia and Neuroanaesthesia.
Today, WFSA and BARTC collaborate on additional fellowships in Paediatric Anaesthesia and Neuroanaesthesia, extending specialist training opportunities to even more anaesthesiologists across the region.
Training Future Leaders
From the beginning, BARTC has focused not only on technical skills, but on preparing fellows to return home as educators, mentors, and leaders.
Fellows train across several Thai institutions, including both major university hospitals and provincial hospitals, gaining experience in a variety of clinical settings. This approach helps trainees learn how to adapt advanced anaesthesia practices to the realities of their own health systems.
Associate Professor Khunwanna Somboonviboon, Distinguished Scholar at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, says the programme’s greatest strength has been the long-standing partnership between BARTC and WFSA, and the impact it has had on anaesthesia care across the region.
“We honour the long-standing partnership with WFSA, which has transformed anaesthesia care by turning knowledge into local empowerment. The success of our alumni is living proof of our 30 years of dedication, partnership, and humanitarian impact.”
This ethos is fundamental to the WFSA’s education and training activities and in the line with our mission and the core objective of our Fellowship programme: empowering leaders and teachers to improve patient care.
Impact Across Asia
The influence of BARTC can be seen clearly in countries such as Mongolia and Laos.
In Mongolia, the first BARTC fellow, Dr Shagdar Enkhtuvshin, later became President of the Mongolian Society of Anaesthesiologists and helped strengthen education, advocacy, and patient safety. Other alumni contributed to establishing the country’s liver transplant programme, while today’s society president is also a BARTC graduate.
In Laos, BARTC alumni have also gone on to lead and strengthen anaesthesia services.
“The programme was incredibly beneficial for my learning, professional development, and personal growth. Upon completing the one-year programme, I brought the knowledge and experience I gained back to my hospital and to teaching anaesthesia residents nationwide. Today, I serve as a peripheral nerve block specialist in Laos, focusing on reducing postoperative pain through nerve blocks and managing pain for cancer patients.”
Dr Bounthanome Phommala, President of the Laos Society of Anaesthesiologists
These stories reflect a broader pattern seen across the WFSA Fellowship community: fellows returning home to improve clinical services, train colleagues, and strengthen anaesthesia systems at institutional and national levels.
Read a BARTC Fellowship story by WFSA
Looking Ahead
Reflecting on the anniversary, current BARTC President Associate Professor Orawan Pongraweewan says the programme’s greatest success has always been its people.
“Our greatest achievement is in the lives that have been transformed through our training. Our commitment to the future is to explore the frontier of perioperative medicine and to ensure that our training remains accessible and of the highest standard. As we celebrate this milestone, let us continue to learn, to teach, and to care together.”
As WFSA celebrates 30 years of fellowships, BARTC stands as the programme’s starting point and a powerful example of what long-term regional partnership can achieve.
The legacy of BARTC is not only in the number of fellows trained, but in the hospitals, classrooms, and national anaesthesia societies across Asia where its alumni continue to lead, teach, and improve patient care every day.
