Sumintra Sundar was one of 25 patients who recently benefited from a successful laser treatment for kidney stones at Labasa Hospital. The treatment was carried out over a week by a medical team from Friends of Fiji Health (FOFH), visiting from New Zealand.
The 60-year-old resident of Waidamudamu, Labasa, had been suffering from kidney stones since 2017. As the procedure using laser and minimally invasive flexible telescopic cameras is not available in any public or private hospital in Fiji, Sundar had been waiting for the opportunity to see an overseas medical team.
Historically, surgery in public hospitals involved large incisions, but thanks to FOFH, patients in Labasa now have access to completely internal surgery. Ms. Sundar was the first patient in Fiji to undergo this new procedure, led by team leader Dr. Imran Ali.
Post-surgery, she was seen happily spending time with her grandchildren and husband, Ram. “I am really thankful to FOFH for carrying out my surgery successfully,” she expressed. She added, “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 shared his pride in being able to offer this new procedure to everyday Fijians, stating that he was as excited about the achievement as Sundar was. FOFH is a registered charity organization in New Zealand, founded in July 2010, with the main goal of organizing specialist teams to provide medical treatment to underserved communities in Fiji. The team conducted free surgeries over five days.