An Australian-led medical team carried out more than 300 health assessments and completed 31 surgical procedures during a five-day outreach to Nabila and nearby Namotu Island, organisers said, marking the third year of the Nabila Medical Outreach programme and a significant expansion in its services.
Led by Dr Leena Zhou — a general practitioner, surgeon and yoga instructor — the multidisciplinary team recorded 260 health assessments in Nabila Village and a further 47 on Namotu Island, bringing the total to 307 consultations. Over the course of the outreach the group also conducted seven home visits and a school visit to reach residents unable to travel to central clinics.
The outreach was staffed by five doctors, two surgeons, five nurses, a physiotherapist, a speech pathologist, a medical student and additional support personnel who worked alongside local villagers and government health teams. Dr Zhou said the collaboration included coordination with Fiji Government personnel who were conducting HIV tests during the programme, underscoring the joint effort to provide both primary care and targeted public-health services.
“Another successful outreach with my team of incredible volunteers, all of whom wore their hearts on their sleeves,” Dr Zhou said, describing this year’s mission as “intense, driven and purposeful.” She acknowledged challenging weather during the five days but said the team nevertheless achieved a strong sense of unity and progress in delivering care. “Through the drenching sweat and inexorable heat, I feel a strange lightness that I haven’t felt in previous years,” she added.
Organisers credited donors, volunteers and partners — including Namotu Island — for sustaining and growing the programme. Dr Zhou said the initiative has expanded “significantly over the years,” calling it a “little seedling project” that has produced life-changing impacts for community members. The outreach’s mix of surgical and non-surgical services aimed to address backlogs and access barriers in these rural locations, where travel to urban hospitals can be costly and logistically difficult.
Details on the specific types of surgical procedures performed were not released, but the proportion of operations to total assessments reflects a concerted push to offer both diagnostic and definitive treatments during the short deployment. The presence of allied health professionals such as a physiotherapist and speech pathologist also signalled attention to rehabilitation and broader wellbeing needs beyond immediate clinical interventions.
This marks the third consecutive year the Nabila Medical Outreach team has returned to the area. Organisers say the programme will continue to work with local leaders and government health services to identify gaps and tailor future visits to community needs, while relying on partner donations and volunteer expertise to sustain operations.
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