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Visiting surgeons train Fijians in Lautoka

A ‘Friends of Fiji Health’ (FOFH) general surgical team returned home on October 8 after successfully carrying out nearly 30 operations at Lautoka Hospital and training local staff in the latest laparoscopic (keyhole) techniques.

General surgeon Dr Rishi Ram of Auckland led the eight-member team on a 12-day visit to Fiji.

The Tauranga locals taking part were general surgeon Dr Avinesh Kumar and his GP wife Amrita, anaesthetist Dr Reta McLeod, specialist theatre nurses Jo Dunstan and Tara Mudgway, and specialised neonatal nurse Heather McAlley.

The two surgeons’ wives, both GPs, Dr Amrita Kumar, and Dr Ranjani Ram, worked with local doctors in general practice, and also had a training role.

Ms McAlley worked at the hospital’s neonatal unit, imparting her skills in the intensive care of premature babies.

The visit was one of a series of visits by doctors and medical personnel under the FOFH programme set up 18 months ago as a charitable trust.

Seven Fijian doctors and businessmen, who had migrated to New Zealand, set up the charity to give something back to their homeland.

FOFH’s main aim is to send teams of specialists to Fiji periodically to provide medical treatment for the neediest locals.

The challenge

The team arrived in Lautoka on September 27, toting boxes full of donated medical supplies, ranging from wound dressings to theatre equipment.

They worked long hours to complete 28 major, often difficult operations, and introduced new technology and techniques.

Drs Ram and Kumar and their team worked together to make local medical history as they carried out the first laparascopic operation to remove gallstones (cholecystectomy).

The case went well, watched by a number of local surgeons and medical students.

The pair also tackled an extremely difficult case in a three hour-plus operation –removal of a local resident’s enlarged cancerous lump in the neck.

“One of the most satisfying things about the work was visiting patients in the ward next day and seeing their smiling faces, as some had waited in some discomfort a long time for their surgery, Dr Kumar said.

“The gratitude expressed by the patients and their families was very touching and rewarding,” he added.

Key focus

Dr Ram said that a key focus of the mission was to train young surgeons on the local medical scene.

“We have experience in the latest laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery that we were able to pass on to our Fijian colleagues. We are committed to helping them up-skill and achieve the highest possible standards of clinical excellence and patient safety. The keyhole techniques bring significant benefits to patients including less pain and early recovery,” he said.

Drs Kumar and Ram had worked at Lautoka Hospital early in their careers and hence understood some of the challenges faced by the local staff.

“It’s great to be able to give something back,” Dr Ram said.


Generous donations

The New Zealand team has praised generous contributions received from businesses and individuals who helped make the visit possible.

They included Grace Hospital in Tauranga, which loaned some equipment, and Pathlab Bay of Plenty which carried out some free cervical smear testing.

Other contributors were New Zealand-based medical supplies companies including Coviden, Ethicon Surgical, Johnson & Johnson and organisations such as McDonalds in Auckland and Fiji, and Vodafone.

Dr Ram said that that the locals in Lautoka who provided generous help included Deepak Tahal who looked after the team on their arrival in Fiji, and loaned a four-wheel drive for their use.

“We are also grateful to Urmila Arya (Dr Amrita Kumar’s sister), for providing excellent home-cooked meals on most evenings.”

He added that Tauranga nurses took with them a number of donated items such as clothing for premature babies and breast pumps for nursing mothers.

Grant Dyson is a freelance journalist based in Tauranga. Donations to the Friends of Fiji Health can be made to its bank account at ASB Bank (Account Number 12-3252-0044839-00). Account Payee cheques could be sent to Rajesh Chaudhary, Treasurer, 34A Omahu Road, Remuera, Auckland 1050.

Website: www.fofh.co.nz

Photo :

Dr Rishi Ram (left) and Avinesh Kumar (right) at the Lautoka Hospital operating theatre, as a local surgeon and medical students look on.

The surgical team on return to Auckland (left to right) Reta McLeod, Tara Mudgway, Rishi Ram, Ranjani Ram, Jo Dunstan, Amrita Kumar, Heather McAlley and Avinesh Kumar.

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