For over half a century, state-of-the-art medical care, delivered with compassion and totally free of cost, has been the hallmark of Sathya Sai hospitals.
The first overseas, tertiary care child heart hospital is all set to open in Suva, Fiji, under the aegis of Sai Prema Foundation, after the COVID-19 restrictions eases. The hospital will be inaugurated by Fiji's Prime Minister Voreque Bainimarama.
Begun in 2016, Sai Prema Foundation, among many noteworthy health initiatives, arranged for the Sathya Sai Sanjeevani team from India to fly over and conduct surgeries on children with congenital heart disease in Fiji, for free.
The Sathya Sai Sanjeevani also offered to build a local capacity in Fiji by training medical personnel for free, in India. Sai followers world over chipped in, and the $ 25 million children's heart hospital in Fiji has become a reality. Equipment installers are waiting for Fiji’s borders to open after COVID-19 restrictions.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has signed an MoU with the Sai Prema Foundation, offering the Foundation access to UNDP’s technical support. This will strengthen the Foundation’s ongoing initiatives, such as developing an online medical record system for a more effective treatment of patients in rural Fiji, increasing awareness of congenital heart disease in the Pacific isles, expand the Foundation’s national feeding project for the needy and rural outreach medical project among others.
Levan Bouadze, resident representative of UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji, said, “UNDP is pleased to be collaborating with Sai Prema Foundation to combat the increasing prevalence of congenital heart disease (CHD) in the south Pacific through the Children’s Heart Hospital.”
Said renowned singer and director of Sai Prema Foundation, Fiji, Sumeet Tappoo,
“This hospital will give the gift of life to children suffering from congenital heart disease. There will be no billing counter. All surgeries and procedures will be completely free of charge”
Over 2,500 children are born annually in the Pacific isles with heart defects. Currently, there are no pediatric cardiac facilities available in Fiji or the Pacific isles. All Pacific island nations will collaborate with UNDP, Ministry of Health, Government of Fiji, and Sai Prema Foundation to combat congenital heart disease, through a human rights-based approach, integrating citizen participation, voice and agency, focusing on the most marginalised and vulnerable.
The Indian healthcare model is indeed making waves in the south Pacific!