Grandmother Amla Wati is expressing her gratitude to the Friends of Fiji Health charitable organization from New Zealand for giving her a new lease on life after her surgery on Wednesday.
Friends of Fiji Health consists of doctors, nurses, and support staff who have been handling complex cases at the Labasa Divisional Hospital since last Friday.
Amla Wati, 62, from Korovatu, Labasa, had her gall bladder stone removed at the Labasa Divisional Hospital on Wednesday.
“I had been in pain for two months, and the news that an overseas team of medical experts was coming to perform operations gave me hope,” Ms. Wati said.
“I was scared about the operation, but I am grateful to the team that carried out the task. They were gentle and friendly. The team, both from overseas and local surgeons, performed the operation excellently, and I feel healthy again.”
Ms. Wati underwent a two-hour operation and is currently recovering in the hospital.
“Following this successful operation, I can’t wait to share with my community how these wonderful doctors and others have medically transformed my life,” she said. “At this age, the cost of such operations is expensive; I am thankful that the service was free of charge.”
“Any operation that eases people’s pain is an example of a good deed,” said Labasa Hospital Board of Visitors chairperson, Hazeem Hussein.
Mr. Hussein noted that the medical team sacrificed their time to assist patients with complex surgeries and operations.
The team is scheduled to return to New Zealand this week. Mr. Hussein is hopeful that there will be more visits from the NZ team in the future.