Rheumatic heart surgeries need to continue at CWM Hospital – Dr Kapadia

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.