ANZCA National Anaesthesia Day
Each year we celebrate ANZCA National Anaesthesia Day across Australia and New Zealand on 16 October (or the closest weekday to this date), the anniversary of the day in 1846 that ether anaesthetic was first demonstrated in Boston, Massachusetts.
Anaesthesia is one of the greatest discoveries of modern medicine and many of today’s operations, especially for the very young, very old or very ill would not be possible without it.
Australia and New Zealand are two of the safest places in the world to have an anaesthetic. All anaesthetists are highly trained specialist doctors. Your anaesthetist will have worked for at least two years as a junior doctor after finishing medical school, then completed at least five years of training to become a specialist anaesthetist.
Every patient is different, every anaesthetic is different and anaesthetists will make modifications according to the specific needs. If you have any questions about your anaesthesia, please speak with your treating specialist.
What we're doing
Each year, many hospitals across Australia and New Zealand set up foyer booths with displays of equipment and mannequins and anaesthetists on hand to answer questions from the public and hand out patient information sheets. We also run a media campaign to highlight anaesthesia and the theme chosen each year.
Contact us
ANZCA’s Communications team is available to support or discuss any National Anaesthesia Day initiatives. Please contact: