Staff Nurse’s Passion To Serve Sees Him Thrive On Vanuavatu Island

Despite the countless challenges faced in a remotely located island, Niral Maharaj considers it a pleasure to serve the people of Vanuavatu on a daily basis. 

The 27-year-old is a staff nurse at the Vanuavatu Nursing Station solely looks after about 146 villagers on the island. 

While many have come and gone with preference to have been transferred from the island, Niral calls Vanuavatu home and all its villagers his family. 

“The experience has been overwhelming, the people have welcomed me like one of their own son in the village,” Mr Maharaj said. 

“I grew up in a rural setting in Navai, Seaqaqa, and it has always been a childhood dream for me to become a nurse. With that same passion, I answered the call to serve in the Lau Group even thought I knew the many challenges it would face.

“The major problem is water supply and I also don’t have a solar light so it’s carrying the torch around for me.

“But despite these challenges it’s the passion to serve that keeps me going.

“The key of rural living is if you want to live in a rural setting, you need to live like a villager. Eat what they eat and do what they do.

“If you’re going to get the city living mentality here, then you will not last.

“When I’m here I engage myself in village activities, I even go diving with the men and boys when they go out. I have always wanted to learn the island way of living.”

Mr Maharaj got his first work posting to Lakeba in 2019 and was transferred to Vanuavatu in January last year.

“For the whole of last year, I stayed with the Turaga ni Koro (village headman).

“I spend most of the time in the community rather than spending time in my room.

“There are days where I always felt like throwing in the towel, but I have always been reminded of why I began this career.”

Mr Maharaj is a former student of Batinikama College in Vanua Levu.

Edited by Jonathan Bryce

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