Top Interventional Cardiologist Dr Kapadia on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan

Renowned General and Interventional Cardiologist Dr Vijay Kapadia, based at the Gold Coast University Hospital in Australia, has stressed the need for rheumatic heart surgeries to be carried out at CWM Hospital.

Dr Kapadia shared this on fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan when he was asked on whether enough is being done to address the management of rheumatic heart disease - a condition where the valves of the heart have been permanently damaged as a result of rheumatic fever in the country.

The show highlighted that in 2023, one in fifty children in the country suffered from the disease, especially in the 5 to 15-year age group.

Dr Kapadia says CWM Hospital is doing a lot in terms of diagnosing and preventing the disease, but rheumatic heart disease is a disease of poverty.

The former Marist Brothers Primary and High School student says that even with all the resources that should be available, Fiji continues to have one of the highest numbers of cases of the disease in the South Pacific.

Dr Kapadia says his first procedural involvement in Fiji was with the Sydney Adventist Hospital in 2003 as the screening cardiologist, where they used to screen 150 people for rheumatic heart disease.

Dr Kapadia says upon the diagnosis of the disease, it is important for patients to have regular follow-ups to assist with the management of the disease.

He says it is unfortunate that they can only carry out bypass surgery and cannot perform rheumatic heart surgery.

You can watch the Straight Talk interview on our website and listen to it on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan.

Renowned General and Interventional Cardiologist, Dr Vijay Kapadia, based at the Gold Coast University Hospital in Australia, has voiced his frustrations over the serious lack of support for proper heart care services for the people of the country.

Dr Kapadia mentioned this during his appearance on fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan, where he expressed his worries about the healthcare system in Fiji.

The former Marist Brothers Primary and High School student who has been practising medicine for 45 years has managed to secure the angiogram and cath lab equipment for the CWM Hospital in 2009, 2014 and again in 2022 after negotiations and consultations with a lot of generous people.

While serious questions arise regarding the government supporting the Aspen hospitals in Ba and Lautoka through millions of dollars of taxpayers’ funds based on a rushed set up by the former Bainimarama led government in 2022, Dr Kapadia says the heart care support at CWM is seriously neglected although they have a good group of medical professionals working with people like him.

He reveals that for the treatment of complicated cardiovascular cases, a functional cath lab is needed, however, they may have to close their current facility for a few months because they are running out of sheaths — small tubes that allow the passing of catheters into the vessels while minimising bleeding.

He says while Fiji has a reasonably good primary care system that focuses on prevention and diet, the people still require access to the benefits modern medicine can provide, especially in the field of heart disease which claims more lives in Fiji than anywhere else in the world.

Dr Kapadia says in cardiovascular diseases, arteries become blocked due to the formation of clots, and to treat patients, the necessary equipment and medication are required.

Dr Kapadia says the processes involved in obtaining them was difficult and that the government needs to focus on and provide a new, proper facility at the CWM Hospital instead of the makeshift one currently in use.

He is urging the government to support their efforts in securing more healthcare resources for the people of Fiji.