Pacific Specialist Healthcare (PSH) is planning to establish a DNA library to store samples for future use.
This announcement was made by PSH director and chief executive officer Parvish Kumar yesterday at the fifth MultiDisciplinary (Pacific) Conference held at the Crowne Plaza Fiji, Nadi Bay Resort & Spa in Nadi.
“We are planning to set up a DNA library. When babies are born, we will ask for the parents’ consent 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 mentioned that in the next two to three weeks, they will be performing open-heart surgical procedures.
“Our entire open-heart surgical team is already in Fiji. They have been doing rehearsals and testing all the systems. We plan to commence open-heart surgeries around August 2-13. With these services available in Fiji, Pacific islanders will not need to travel elsewhere. If there is another pandemic and border lockdowns, patients can still access such services in Fiji,” he noted.
Pacific Specialist Healthcare (PSH) is located in Legalega, opposite the Nadi International Airport, and is the largest private hospital in the South Pacific.