Timely Surgery For Teacher
“The doctors told me that I should be fully recovered in three weeks. I thank the doctors that I am able to walk around again properly. My back isn’t as painful now.”
Monday 07 August 2023 | 16:30
Doctor Hitesh Garg with patient Serupepeli Cagivanua at the Nasese Private Hospital in Suva. Photo: Aralai Vosayaco.
Suva teacher Serupepeli Cagivanua is counting his lucky stars after being selected among patients to undergo spinal injury surgeries on Friday.
The Saint Agnes Primary School teacher now looks forward to teaching his students without hindrance from throbbing back pains which affected the way he walks for years.
“The surgery has been a blessing,” Mr Cagivanua said.
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“The doctors told me that I should be fully recovered in three weeks. I thank the doctors that I am able to walk around again properly. My back isn’t as painful now.”
The Kadavu native said he had lost hope over the years because of the continuation of back pains.
“It was really hard to stomach the pains, but I am grateful that it’s all over now.”
Mr Cagivanua was part of the first spinal injury surgeries at the Nasese Private Hospital in Suva on Friday.
Three surgeries were conducted by a group of surgeons from India led by Doctor Hitesh Garg, the head of Ortho and Spinal Injuries department from the Artemis Hospitals in India.
The surgeries were part of partnership between the Artemis Hospitals and Nasese Private Hospital.
Mr Cagivanua, Semi Talemaivavalagi of Moala, Lau, who had been having back and walking problems for the past three years, and a Gilbertese (Kiribati national) undergone surgeries on Friday. The visiting team returned to India on Saturday.
Dr Garg said Fiji had spinal injury cases which needed surgeries and the backlog was because of lack of expertise and equipment here.
“We brought our own instruments, machines and implants from India because they’re not available locally here,” Dr Garg said.
He said they conducted the surgeries successfully because of the international standard of Nasese Private Hospital.
The head of International marketing Pacific Region at Artemis Hospitals, Abishek Kumar said conducting spinal injuries surgeries in Fiji would save Fijian patients a lot of money.
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