Acting PM Hails Heart Facility in Namaka, Nadi
The new Heart International facility in Namaka, Nadi, which opened last night, has been hailed as a new era in medical facilities.
The Acting Prime Minister and Attorney-General, Aiyaz SayedKhaiyum, said it had taken Fiji to another level.
New Zealand Interventional Cardiologist, Dr Seif El-Jack, who will be part of the team carrying out cardiac treatment, said the facility was the best outside New Zealand and Australia in the Pacific region. Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said, while opening the facility, it cost in excess of $2 million to establish it in Namaka.
He paid tribute to the cardiologists and senior medical personnel who were behind the setting up of the facility.
At the same time, Mr Sayed-Khayum called on the private sector to work with Government in establishing a foundation where ordinary Fijians who could not afford such expensive treatment could have it subsidised through this establishment. Mr Sayed-Khaiyum also supported leading Fijian Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Dr Parma Nand, who said Fiji’s economy could grow on introducing medical tourism here, with costs being around $15,000, which was about one-third of what one would pay in New Zealand or Australia.
“We have a lot of former Fijians coming back home,” Mr SayedKhaiyum said, adding that they were returning with specialised skills.
He said health was an emotional issue that affected the family.
“It has an enormous impact on the productive capacity of a country.” Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said when health issues affected the younger people, it reduced the capacity of our country through productivity.
He referred to countries in Africa which had a downturn of their productivity when HIV and AIDS were rampant.
“It meant the people who were at the peak of their careers were not productive at all,” he said.
“If people in Fiji are getting cardiovascular problems from the age of 40 or even below that, then we are depriving ourselves of their intellectual input or productive capacity.”
He said it would be detrimental to us.
“It is fantastic to have this facility here as Government has been pouring significant money into the health sector.”
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said the restructuring of doctors’ salaries was to make the doctors stay in Fiji.
“Fiji has failed for a number of decades to invest in its human capital, especially the health sector.
“As a result of that there is a lack of specialists.”
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said Government would encourage private sector partnership with Government in the health sector.
“If the private sector worked with and collaborated with Government, then ordinary Fijians could benefit from the services such as that which was being provided at Heart International,” he said.
“The foundation could subsidise these target people to actually use the facility.”