Children’s heart hospital to extend cardiac services to adults

Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Heart Hospital will expand its specialised cardiac services to adults and adolescents later this month.

The hospital, traditionally focused on children, will provide services including angiograms and scans.

Hospital director and chief executive officer Dr Krupali Tappoo said the expansion was important as Fiji continued to face a significant burden of cardiovascular and heart-related diseases.

“We have a lot of adults who really have challenges with cardiovascular disease, with heart disease,” Dr Tappoo said.

The latest national health data highlights the need for greater access to cardiac care, with 8.7 per cent of people surveyed reporting that they had experienced a heart attack, heart-disease-related chest pain or stroke.

Dr Tappoo said the hospital would also extend its services to adolescents as it moves beyond its original focus on paediatric cardiac care.

Colonial War Memorial Hospital remains an important centre for cardiac care in Fiji, while the expansion at Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani will provide additional capacity for patients requiring specialised heart treatment.

The move could allow more Fijians to access specialised treatment locally rather than travelling overseas, where medical treatment, travel and accommodation can place a significant financial burden on families.

For patients with serious heart conditions, increased access to specialised services could support earlier diagnosis and treatment.

Dr Tappoo said some adults could suffer sudden and serious heart problems, including massive heart attacks, making access to cardiac services important.

The new service will come with significant costs, particularly because of hospitalisation and other medical expenses.

“Every dollar counts, every partnership and relationship is important,” she said.

Until now, the hospital has been largely known for treating children with congenital and other heart conditions.

During its latest international surgical mission, 13 children underwent open-heart surgery while another five received catheter-based procedures, allowing them to avoid open-heart surgery.

Dr Tappoo said the hospital had also conducted almost 56,000 heart screenings, with early detection remaining a major focus.

She said identifying heart conditions early gave patients a better chance of receiving treatment before their conditions became severe.

The hospital has treated children from Fiji and other Pacific Island countries, including Kiribati and Solomon Islands.

With adult cardiac services now being added, Dr Tappoo said the hospital was extending its life-saving work to another group of patients affected by heart disease.

The expansion is expected to provide another option for Fijians requiring specialised cardiac care and could reduce the need for some patients to seek treatment overseas.