About anaesthesia and anaesthetists

‘Anaesthesia’ is derived from the Greek word meaning ‘without sensation’. The term is applied to medications which can produce anaesthesia, as well as to the whole process that patients undergo when having surgical and other medical procedures. People often describe ‘anaesthesia’ as being ‘put to sleep’. This is not strictly true: in ‘general anaesthesia’, anaesthetists in fact place their patients into a state of carefully controlled unconsciousness so that they will be unaware and not feel pain.

Most anaesthesia in Australia is administered by medical specialists, who are highly trained doctors who undergo five or more years training in anaesthesia, pain management, resuscitation and the management of medical emergencies after graduating from medical school and completing internship and residency years.

There is no safer place in the world to undergo anaesthesia than in Australia.