Doctor Sale Vurobaravu was one of the luckiest fathers to have graduated from the Fiji National University last Friday.

He graduated with his Master of Medicine in Internal Medicine just over a week after his daughter, Azaria Vurobaravu, 10, underwent appendectomy – a surgery involving the removal of the appendix.

Azaria’s mother hails from Levuka and Doctor Vurobaravu, 35, is the son of Vanuatu’s President, Nikenike Vurobaravu, who took office in July this year. He studied for the course for four years here in Fiji.

“It was a challenging journey but it was made a lot easier by the good mentorship that we received from our senior lecturers at FNU, Dr Malani and also the great local support here and all the staff at the CWM Hospital,” he said.

“It was challenging during COVID-19 because there were two waves and from the Pacific, we almost deferred twice. I almost had to give up but thanks be to God above for giving us the strength to endure.”

He is a junior consultant at the Vila Central Hospital – the national referral hospital of Vanuatu. He studied for his undergraduate degree at the Fiji School of Medicine from 2006 to 2012.

Proud Daughter

“I’m really proud to be at this graduation because I have seen my dad at his high and his low and I’ve always believed in him and I sometimes subject to his training and it’s really fun,” she said fluently.

I’m so happy to have a father like him.

“I want to be like my grandfather who is the President or like my dad.”

President

Vanuatu President Nikenike Vurobaravu, during his son Sale Vurobaravu’s Fiji National University graduation ceremony on September 30, 2022. Photo: Ronald Kumar

“His father was also at the graduation ceremony to witness his latest qualification.”

“I’m proud of him. Dr Sale is my second son and he came to school here in Fiji because his mother was French and so when he came here, he attended international school,” he said.

“He reached this level of education in medicine and it’s thanks to your (Fiji) education system because it is very good.”

“More than 1700 students graduated from the university this week. ”

Story By: josefa.babitu@fijisun.com.fj