Chinese team brings advanced cataract surgery to Fiji

More than 100 Fijians will undergo advanced eye surgery over the next six days as a visiting Chinese ophthalmology team provides specialist services at Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital.

Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu said the Government was grateful to China for its continued support of Fiji’s eye-care services.

“They have handed over some of that equipment to CWM and, on behalf of the Government and the Ministry of Health, we’re grateful for that,” Dr Lalabalavu said.

The donated equipment is worth more than US$100,000 and includes portable artificial intelligence technology that can capture eye images, assist with diagnosis and support treatment decisions.

Dr Lalabalavu said the equipment would also help improve screening at the primary healthcare level.

“We can detect and refer patients very easily. We can cut down early onset of blindness due to cataracts, diabetes and so forth,” he said.

Acting Head of Department at CWM Hospital Dr Shireen Shabina Ayub said cataracts remained the leading cause of avoidable blindness in Fiji and the region.

Dr Ayub said Fiji mainly used manual small-incision cataract surgery because access to phacoemulsification, an advanced form of cataract surgery, was limited.

“We have only one machine that does that type of surgery and it is only limited for specific patients,” she said.

Approximately 125 patients have been booked for the current mission after being screened over several months.

“The Chinese team have used approximately US$500,000 on this mission to Fiji,” Dr Ayub said.

The Zhongshan Ophthalmic Centre of Sun Yat-sen University has worked with Fiji’s Ministry of Health and Medical Services for 11 years and has made seven visits to Fiji.

CWM Hospital performs about 2,000 cataract surgeries each year.