Pacific health leaders urged to rethink overseas medical travel

Pacific Island health ministers have been urged to help reduce the region’s growing carbon footprint by encouraging more medical treatments to be carried out within the Pacific, instead of sending patients abroad on long haul flights thousands on other continents for specialist care.

This was the message from Pacific Specialist Healthcare (PSH) Founder and chief executive officer Parvish Kumar, who spoke during the World Health Organization’s Special Event of the Pacific Health Ministers on the Healthy Islands Vision at Shangri-La Yanuca Island Resort on October 25.

Mr Kumar told regional health leaders that while seeking advanced treatment overseas was often necessary, the environmental cost of flying thousands of kilometres to countries such as India, Thailand, Singapore must no longer be ignored.

“Thousands of Pacific patients travel to countries thousands of kilometers away for advanced care, often with an escort,” he said.

“Long-haul flights dominate the carbon footprint of each treatment journey. All of these surgeries can be done safely in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, which is far closer and far cleaner.”

He said PSH’s newly launched initiative, “Save Life, Save Planet” promotes an approach where medical care and environmental sustainability go hand in hand.

“When we treat a patient, we shouldn’t only think about the medical treatment of that patient, we must also be mindful that in the process of saving a life, we don’t end up polluting the planet, both saving lives and saving planet should go hand in hand,” he said.

Using data drawn from the United Kingdom’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory formula, Mr Kumar presented calculations showing the amount of carbon dioxide produced during medical travel from Pacific nations to India.

According to his findings, a round trip from Fiji to India for a patient and their escort emits approximately 7,800 kilograms of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of more than seven tonnes per surgery.

“If that same surgery is done in Fiji, the planet is spared that entire seven tonnes of carbon dioxide. The logic is simple: when we perform the surgery here or closer to home say in Australia or in New Zealand, we save a life and save the planet at the same time,” he said.

Mr Kumar noted that most Pacific patients travelling to India transit through Nadi, further compounding the carbon emissions. “When you multiply this by thousands of patients each year, the total carbon footprint is enormous,” he said.

He said the Save Life, Save Planet initiative is strongly aligned with WHO Objective, Pacific’s Healthy Islands Vision and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Goals 3 and 13 in particular.

Specifically, he referenced SDG 3, which promotes access to quality healthcare for all, and SDG 13, which focuses on urgent climate action and lowering of carbon footprint.

“At PSH Hospitals we are addressing both SDG 3 and SDG 13, a perfect synergy, we are not just saving patients, the children of mother earth, we are protecting the health of mother earth as well, we saving both the child and mother.”

Mr Kumar added that PSH’s efforts also support the WHO’s Healthy Islands Vision, which calls for Pacific people to live healthy and productive lives in a healthy environment.

PSH Hospitals has already been performing advanced procedures locally that were once only available overseas.

“We’ve successfully carried out open-heart surgeries for patients from all over Fiji, Pacific Islands including one patient from New Zealand and two German nationals right here in Fiji,” he said.

“The outcomes were excellent and the costs were much lower compared to what they would have paid abroad.”

Our other specialties such as neuro surgery including spine surgeries, orthopedic, etc, also have 100 per cent success rates and more advanced procedures will start being offered from November.

While acknowledging that some overseas treatments may appear cheaper, Mr Kumar said the environmental and social costs must also be considered.

“Even say if treatment in Fiji, Australia or New Zealand costs a thousand dollars more, it’s a worthwhile investment,” he said.

“If we don’t pay that price now, our children will inherit a much dirtier planet and a climate that is harder to live in. The cost we avoid today will become a heavier burden tomorrow on our childrens shoulders.”

He added that PSH Hospitals fees remains highly competitive and often comparable to procedure fees in some Indian hospitals. He also added that the standard of medication used at his hospital meets TGA, BP and FDA standards ensuring only the best is used at PSH Hospitals with high caliber surgeons with decades of experience under their belt.

Mr Kumar said PSH Hospitals will continue to work closely with governments, health ministries and regional partners to build capacity for complex procedures in the Pacific and make the Save Life, Save Planet initiative a long-term regional effort.

“This is not only about healthcare,” he said. “It’s about redefining how we care, for both our people and our planet.”