New lease of life for elderly Australian tourist at PSH

This has to be one of Pacific Specialists Healthcare’s top success stories.

Carol Wallen, 80, from Melbourne in Australia had arrived in Fiji in mid-December 2023 with her son Darren to celebrate her 80th birthday.

While staying at the Sheraton Fiji Resort on Denarau Island she developed complications and was taken to a clinic and then transferred to the Nadi Hospital.

As her health deteriorated Darren looked up for other hospitals and found PSH in Nadi and immediately had his mum transferred there.

At PSH, Mrs Wallen suffered a cardiopulmonary arrest and her heart had stopped beating for about 10 minutes which required multi-organ support.

Quick action by specialists and Intensive Care Unit staff at the hospital, led by Consultant Anaesthesia and Consultant Intensivist Dr Ratu Vereniki Raiwalui resuscitated Mrs Wallen.

She described her recovery at the hands of the medical team at PSH as amazing.

“The staff have been really marvelous, and I am much better today because of that,” Mrs Wallen said adding that as soon as she fully recovers she would be coming back for another holiday.

PSH managing director Parvish Kumar said then that this was the time all hotels and resort should form a partnership or affiliation with his hospital for medical treatment of any of their guests who fall ill or are injured.

Darren further said he would recommend to all his friends and family back home to be treated at PSH Hospital should they get sick here in Fiji.

“The assessment treatment and care she received at PSH has been really similar if not better to an Australian hospital,” he added.

“To see her recovery so quickly is testament to the medical team here and to resuscitate someone who has been so sick and to come out of that has been nothing short of outstanding,” Mr Wallen said.

Dr Raiwalui said Mrs Wallen was brought in and was at a point of having cardiopulmonary arrest and was taken to the HDU.

“She had Cardiopulmonary arrest there where her heart stopped for about 10 minutes and we resuscitated her with good outcome,” Dr Raiwalui said.

“She was given intensive care support for her vital organs where her organs were heading towards failure.”

Over the next a significant improvement on her part could be seen and this was due to the high level of intensive care with organ support that was administered to her.

Fours day ago she was taken off the life support system and today she was put into a wheelchair and taken outside the hospital where a big smile could be seen on her face.

Later, Mrs Wallen and Darren were repatriated back to Australia on a special Medivac flight with an Intesnive Care team from Rescue Services out of Brisbane.

Mr Kumar said having this affiliation with PSH would reduce the time and effort of taking patients in circles before being given professional treatment.

He said said this was the reason his hospital was strategically placed to provide not only health care for locals but be a professional back up to the tourism industry.

Feedback: charles.chambers@fijisun.com.fj