Three patients have been able to receive spinal surgery locally rather than travel to India for the operation.
This has been enabled under an agreement between Nasese Medical Centre and India’s Artemis Hospital.
Head of Ortho and Spine at Artemis Hospital Dr Hitesh Garg said this pilot deal would help Fijians in terms of savings on travel costs and recovery in their home country surrounded by their loved ones.
Nasese Medical Centre’s director of surgery Dr Alvin De Asa agreed the partnership with Artemis Hospital, which was ranked in the top five hospitals in India, would pave the way for complicated spinal surgery to be done in Fiji.
Meanwhile, Serupepeli Caginavanua, who is presently recovering from his successful surgery, expressed gratitude to the medical staff members for allowing him to get back on his feet.
Mr Caginavanua, a teacher by profession, said life became unbearable because of constant back pains, adding he wasn’t ready to travel to India for the surgery and was grateful the procedure could be done here at home.
