A $40,000 dialysis machine donated to Labasa Hospital’s Dialysis Centre by Extra Supermarket will increase the facility’s capacity and ease pressure on kidney patients across Vanua Levu.
The new unit raises the Centre’s number of dialysis machines from five to six. The Dialysis Centre cares for around 30 full-time patients and delivers more than 250 dialysis sessions each month, functioning as the only consistent dialysis service for many people in the Northern Division. Patients travel from as far as Taveuni to receive treatment.
Extra Supermarket Chief Marketing Officer Lailanie Burnes described dialysis machines as lifesaving tools for people whose kidneys no longer function, stressing their critical role in patient survival. Vodafone Fiji’s Head of Recharge and Distribution, Nilesh Singh, said the additional machine will reduce delays and allow more flexible treatment schedules, improving access and convenience for patients. Patient Rajesh Chandra welcomed the donation as a relief for those struggling to obtain timely care.
The Committee behind the initiative also confirmed its next project: establishing a prosthetic limb centre for amputees in the Northern Division.
Context and wider trend
This contribution reflects a broader pattern of community and corporate support strengthening healthcare in Fiji—recent months have seen donations of medical equipment to hospitals, targeted funding for facility upgrades, and community groups assisting dialysis patients and training programs to expand specialist services. Such partnerships are increasingly important in supplementing public health services and improving access outside major urban centres.
Additional comments and practical considerations
– While the extra machine will immediately reduce scheduling bottlenecks, sustained benefit depends on ongoing funding for consumables, routine maintenance, and trained staff to operate and service the equipment.
– Coordinated support from donors, health authorities and community groups can help ensure the new machine translates into more sessions and reduced travel burdens for patients.
– Tracking waiting times, session numbers and patient travel patterns after the machine enters service would make a useful follow-up story and help measure impact.
Brief summary
Extra Supermarket donated a $40,000 dialysis machine to Labasa Hospital, increasing the Dialysis Centre’s machines to six. The centre, which runs over 250 sessions monthly for about 30 full-time patients and serves patients from across the North, will see reduced delays and more flexible scheduling. The same Committee plans to open a prosthetic limb centre next.
Hopeful angle
This donation not only improves immediate access to life-sustaining treatment for northern communities, it also highlights how targeted partnerships between businesses, NGOs and health services can quickly expand essential care outside urban centres—an encouraging model for future health investments.
Publishing suggestions for WordPress
– Suggested headline: Extra Supermarket donates $40,000 dialysis machine to Labasa Hospital, boosting care in the North
– Photo idea/caption: The new dialysis machine at Labasa Hospital’s Dialysis Centre; donation aims to reduce wait times and ease patient travel burdens.
– Suggested tags: Labasa Hospital, dialysis, Extra Supermarket, healthcare donations, Vanua Levu, prosthetics
– Social media blurb: Extra Supermarket has donated a $40k dialysis machine to Labasa Hospital, increasing capacity and easing access for patients across the North. The Committee behind the donation is now planning a prosthetic limb centre for amputees.
Follow-up angles to pursue
– How waiting times and monthly session numbers change after the machine is commissioned
– Costs and plans for consumables and maintenance funding
– Progress on the proposed prosthetic limb centre and its expected timeline and services
Leave a comment