Sumintra Sundar is one of the 25 patients who recently benefited from a groundbreaking laser treatment for kidney stones at Labasa Hospital. This week-long procedure was carried out by a medical team from Friends of Fiji Health (FOFH) from New Zealand. The 60-year-old resident of Waidamudamu, Labasa, had been suffering from kidney stones since 2017.
As a mother of three, Sundar had been awaiting assistance from an overseas medical team because laser treatment for kidney stones is unavailable in Fiji’s public or private healthcare facilities. Previously, surgeries in public hospitals involved larger incisions, while the new method allows for completely internal surgery, made possible by the efforts of FOFH.
Sunders was the pioneer patient in Fiji to undergo this procedure, administered by Dr. Imran Ali, the team leader. Post-surgery, she was delighted to spend time with her grandchildren and husband, Ram Sundar, at home. “I am really thankful to FOFH for carrying out my surgery successfully,” she shared. “I was afraid that the doctors might cut me open, but I was really pleased that the procedure involved no cuts at all.”
Dr. Ali expressed his pride in providing this service for everyday Fijians through FOFH, a charity organization established in July 2010 that aims to assemble teams of specialists to offer medical care to underserved communities in Fiji. Over five days, the team successfully conducted free operations for the patients in need.