53 children with congenital heart disease in Fiji require surgery today - Tappoo

53 children diagnosed with congenital heart disease in Fiji require surgery today.

This has been revealed by the Director of Sai Prema Foundation, Sumeet Tappoo who says they are desperate to open the South Pacific’s first-ever free children’s heart hospital as soon as possible as they know how serious the problem is in Fiji and the Pacific.

Tappoo says the $25 million dollar project which does not have a billing counter was planned to be opened in April last year.

He says their plan has been delayed due to COVID-19 as they could not get the equipment and the engineers to install these machines from overseas.

Tappoo says with the help of the Department of Immigration and Ministry of Health, the medical engineers are slowly coming in and one has just finished his quarantine period.

He adds all the equipment have been brought in and medical engineers will be installing this soon.

Tappoo says through their free heart screening recently, 90 children have been diagnosed with congenital heart disease.

He adds that this surgery would cost $100,000 in overseas.

This is the first-ever largest project an NGO is undertaking in Fiji and the Sai Prema Foundation of Fiji is working with the Fijian government and the Ministry of health on it.