Sumintra Sundar is one of 25 patients who recently underwent successful laser treatment for kidney stones at Labasa Hospital. This innovative treatment was conducted by a medical team from Friends of Fiji Health (FOFH) from New Zealand last week. The 60-year-old resident of Waidamudamu, Labasa, had been struggling with kidney stones since 2017.
As a mother of three, Ms. Sundar had long been awaiting treatment from an international medical team, as laser procedures with flexible telescopic cameras are not available in any public or private hospitals in Fiji. Previously, surgeries in public hospitals involved large incisions, while the FOFH has made it possible to perform completely internal surgeries at Labasa.
Ms. Sundar was the first patient in Fiji to undergo this specific procedure, led by Dr. Imran Ali. After her successful operation, she was seen spending quality time with her grandchildren and her husband, Ram Sundar, at home. “I am really thankful to FOFH for carrying out my surgery successfully,” Ms. Sundar expressed. “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, a proud Fijian, shared in Ms. Sundar’s excitement at being able to offer this advanced treatment to fellow Fijians on behalf of FOFH. Established in July 2010, FOFH is a registered charity based in New Zealand that aims to form specialist teams to provide medical care to underserved communities in Fiji. The team performed free operations over a span of five days.