THERE will be free medical treatment for heart patients in Lautoka this week.
Surgery team leader Aleem Shah says they will set up their own theatre and perform the procedures free of charge.
He said patients should not worry about paying the hospital fees of $575.
"Our mission is to provide quality better of life treatment to needy and the underprivileged. Some of these procedure are not accessible to the common man and people below the average wage," Mr Shah said.
He said the operations would cost them $NZ25,000 (approximately $F36,604).
Doctor Patrick Kay said for the last two years they managed to treat 80 patients with coronary angiograms treatments.
This year, he said, they got the first patient to undergo angiograms treatment in Suva.
"The same patient will undergo cardiac surgery in Lautoka this week," Dr Kay said.
However, Doctor Seif El-Jack said missions such as theirs would not be possible without the support of locals here in terms of hospital staffing.
He said local support for the team was important.
Dr El-Jack said people also needed to understand how the contribution could benefit the community as a whole.
"We focus primarily on the underprivileged who are socially deprived and cannot afford this treatment," Dr El-Jack said.