CWM Hospital Friends Here to Boost Staff Learning, Services
Dr Vijay Kapadia and Dr Zhimin Du have been instrumental in passing on valuable knowledge and skills to the local team of the hospital’s Cath Lab and Cardiac Unit.
Dr Vijay Kapadia, who set up the Cath Lab and Cardiac Unit at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva, was on one of his regular visits last week to continue the good work done by the Cath Lab. Dr Zhimin Du was also visiting the Cath Lab in Suva.
Dr Du is an eminent authority in the cardiovascular field and one of China’s most experienced interventional cardiologists. He passed on valuable knowledge and skills to the local team in the three months that he was attached to the unit.
Dr Kapadia felt that such longer-term visits are extremely valuable for advancing training and local capacity building.
Dr Du is the third cardiologist from China to come to the Cath Lab at CWM Hospital. Dr Feng Dong, Vice President of Medtronic’s Asia Pacific was also in the country at the time to look at the work done by the Cath Lab and to see how they can continue to support and develop it further.
Medtronic’s is the world’s largest device company and main supplier of the high end medical items such as stents and balloons used in the Cath Lab.
They have been a strong supporter of the Cath Lab for many years and have been supplying these medical items at a very reasonable cost.
In this way angioplasty and stenting procedures using some of the world’s best equipment is made possible at minimal cost to the people of Fiji.
Dr Shahin Nusair is the main local cardiologist at the Cath Lab and has been virtually in charge of this facility for several years. He said they were grateful for the support of the visiting doctors such as Dr Du and Medtronic’s.
They enable the Cath Lab to perform these complicated but necessary procedures for many people in Fiji who otherwise would not be able to afford such treatment on a commercial basis.
Himmat Lodhia, a senior member of the Suva Rotary Club, which has been a major benefactor for the Suva Cath Lab, the Club has been a close supporter of this project from the beginning.
Dixon Seeto is also a strong advocate of the good work done by the Cath Lab and lends his support to the facility.
He has seen many people who have been treated at the Cath Lab and have resumed normal healthy lives after their treatment.
Mr Seeto is acutely aware of the benefit of the Cath Lab’s work as he has seen one of his employees who has had affordable treatment at the Cath Lab and is now back at work and living a healthy and productive life.
Mr Seeto said he was also aware that the cost of treatment was made affordable by the Lab because of the support from Medtronic and other companies.
He feels that many people in the country have benefited from this facility supported by Government as procedures of this type at commercial Cath Labs are normally very expensive.
Dr Kapadia said he and his overseas colleagues would continue regular visits usually at their own cost to support the operations of the cardiac unit at the CWM Hospital.
It is capable of doing all procedures locally from treadmill testing and echocardiography to pacemaker implantation and angiography.
Support is still needed for angioplasty and stenting, but with continued visits by specialists like Dr Du the local team will soon become proficient in this also.