By SHALENDRA PRASAD photojournalist.fiji@gmail.com

Fiji’s newest and most advanced private hospital is ready to work together with the government to uplift the image of health services in the country.

Pacific Specialist Healthcare Hospital (PSH) which is a 100-bed state-of-the-art facility with cutting-edge technology, modern equipment and highly trained specialist doctors and support staff situated just across the Nadi International Airport has already made headlines worldwide by carrying out the first successful open-heart surgery on Monday November 11.

Pacific Specialist Hospital founder and CEO Parvish Kumar outside his state-of-the-art modern hospital in Legelega, Nadi. Photo: SHALENDRA PRASAD.

Kusum Lata, 61, of Lautoka went through a delicate surgical procedure known as “Coronary Artery Bypass Graft” (CABG) in what is believed to be a milestone achievement and a first of its kind for any medical institution in Nadi.

A team of highly trained Cardio Thoracic specialists carried out a “triple” graft procedure without any complications.

“While the setting up of a multi-million-dollar cardiology department is just an extra feather in our hat, we are now ready to join hands with the government to assist them in elevating the image of public health services in the country,” PSH founder and chief executive officer Parvish Kumar said.

“We have taken note that the government has envisioned to boost medical tourism in the country by working hard to increase the number of tourists who come to Fiji for medical purposes, and I am excited to say that we at PSH share the same values and dreams of making Fiji an attractive destination in this segment of the market,” Mr Kumar added.

“However, there is also a lot of work needed to be done in the local public health sector as well and we at PSH are ready to work very closely with the government in this area.

“The Nadi and Labasa Hospitals are two potential centres where we can immediately join hands with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services and take over the management role.

“This will enable us to share our expertise and open resources for a wider group of patients while saving millions of dollars of tax revenue for the government.

“We can run these hospitals very efficiently. Without compromising on the services provided, we can streamline costs and do away with unnecessary expenses while taking the image of the public health sector to an acceptable level in the country,” Mr Kumar offered.

Mr Kumar said the management of PSH wished to prove to the public and the government that if an overseas owned company can manage the Lautoka and Ba Hospitals, PSH being locally owned can also do the same or even better.

“The savings generated because of our professional management skills could actually go towards cardiac treatment of so many deserving patients who are unable to afford the least of the charges at private facilities in Fiji and overseas also.”

“In a layman’s term, we are ready to take the bull by the horns,” Mr Kumar said on a lighter note.

Meanwhile, the highly trained and dedicated team at PSH is always on standby 24-hours a day and night to attend to any emergency situations.

“The team is available 24/7 including standby ambulance services to tackle any challenges that come our way,” Mr Kumar informed.

“Most of our specialist team members are living close by the hospital and an emergency intensivist resides within the hospital premises. Apart from this, senior nurses, engineers and doctors are all available 24/7.”

Mr Kumar says the hospital is now in the process of acquiring a fleet of state-of-the-art ambulances loaded with modern medical and support equipment that will further boost their response time and enable them to pick up patients who require immediate medical attention upon landing at the Nadi International Airport which is stones throw away from PSH.

The former president of Fiji College of General Practitioners (FCGP) Dr Ram Raju said it is high time the government considered privatising the Nadi Hospital so that it could build confidence in our health system.

“Being a tourist town, Nadi should have been a priority for the previous government which chose to go ahead and privatise Ba and Lautoka hospitals first and as per my conversation with those in power previously, Nadi was to be looked at later on but that never happened,” Dr Raju said.

He said every tourist who visits Fiji, especially the elderly ones, check on the calibre of our medical facilities and feel safe and content after seeing private hospitals like PSH which offer services like those found in their own countries.

“I have been talking about all these issues and making submissions to the relevant government agencies and other stakeholders for over a decade now and finally there is some light at the end of the tunnel with establishments in the likes of PSH.”

Questions sent to Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services Doctor Jemesa Tudravu remained unanswered when this edition went to press.

* SHALENDRA PRASAD IS A FORMER COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER, AND FREELANCE PHOTOJOURNALIST BASED IN NADI