Pacific Specialist Healthcare (PSH) is preparing to establish a DNA library to store samples for future use.
This announcement was made by PSH Director and CEO, Parvish Kumar, yesterday in Nadi at the fifth MultiDisciplinary (Pacific) Conference held at the Crowne Plaza Fiji, Nadi Bay Resort & Spa in Nadi.
“We are also planning to set up a DNA library. What we intend to do is, when babies are born, we will seek consent from the parents to take samples of their umbilical cords and store them in the lab,” Mr. Kumar said.
“In the future, if parents or anyone needs samples of the child’s DNA, it will be available in Fiji,” he added.
Kumar also revealed that they are expecting to start open-heart surgical procedures in the coming two to three weeks.
“Currently, our entire open-heart surgical team is already in Fiji. They have been conducting revitalizing exercises and testing all systems. We aim to launch open-heart surgeries around August 2-13.”
“Once all these services are available in Fiji, Pacific islanders will not need to travel elsewhere. If there is another pandemic and border lockdowns, our patients can access such services in Fiji,” he remarked.
Pacific Specialist Healthcare (PSH) is situated in Legalega, opposite Nadi International Airport, and is the largest private hospital in the South Pacific.