“I’m grateful that I’m alive today and thank the Foundation for saving my life”.
13-year-old Vatiseva Ilibera shared this sentiment at the Gift of Life programme at the Tanoa Plaza in Suva after undergoing an open heart surgery with the help of the Sai Prema Foundation Fiji, a non-government organisation that provides free heart surgeries for children in Fiji.
Ilibera says she was always sick and used to eat very less.
She says everything has normalized after the surgery.
25 children had free congenital heart disease surgeries which helped their families save more than $1.3 million.
Health Minister, Rosy Akbar says since its inception, the Foundation has continued to serve and meet its objectives after setting up four free medical camps in rural and remote areas.
Meanwhile, Akbar was pleased to note that the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital in India is keen on training doctors from Fiji at their centres.
This is until such time when Fiji will be able to establish its own Pediatric Cardiac Unit.
Meanwhile, Dr Krupali Tappoo who is the medical coordinator with the Sai Prema Foundation says every year about 200 children are born in Fiji with congenital heart disease.
Tappoo says that congenital heart disease refers to the abnormality of the heart from birth.
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