A kidney transplant will be ideal for 12-year-old Ravouvou Naviri whose kidneys have failed and who had to undergo surgery to allow urine to drain better.
Kidney specialist Doctor Amrish Krishnan says while a transplant is ideal, they will have to be a willing related kidney donor for Ravouvou.
The 12-year-old boy is now undergoing dialysis treatment three times a week with a total weekly cost of $750.
A permanent solution for Ravouvou would be a kidney transplant.
Doctor Krishnan says unfortunately kidney transplants cannot be done in Fiji and the transplant cost in India varies quite a bit depending on the hospital where it is carried out, and how well other related costs such as airline tickets and accommodation are managed.
When questioned by Fijivillage, the Ministry of Health says it does not provide funding for routine dialysis treatment.
The ministry says that it recognizes the financial burden that regular dialysis can impose and is exploring ways to exert downward pressure on fees through increasing competition and reducing the costs of dialysis supplies.
Ravouvou is the youngest person to be undergoing dialysis treatment in the country and the family needs continued financial assistance.
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