Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital receives a boost as LDS Church donates echocardiogram machine

The Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital has received a boost in the work they do in screening children with congenital heart disease as they received a echocardiogram machine from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

The portable echocardiogram equipment will be used for conducting heart screenings in the rural villages of Fiji and even the South Pacific Islands.

It was purchased from GE Healthcare, New Zealand and was commissioned by them last week.

While donating the machine to the hospital this morning, Pacific Area of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints President Elder Taniela Wakolo says they were very happy to be able to contribute towards the wonderful work carried out by Sai Prema Foundation at Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital.

He says the Church is acknowledging Sai Prema Foundation’s efforts to serve the underprivileged people of Fiji and the Pacific by providing free heart surgeries to children with congenital heart disease at Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital.

While expressing gratitude towards the church, Sai Sanjeevani Hospital Director Dr Krupali Tappoo says with the regular surgical missions being conducted at Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital, the donated echocardiogram machine will be instrumental in conducting widespread heart screening for children throughout Fiji and also the South Pacific Islands.

She says they believe that early detection of congenital heart disease is crucial to provide surgical intervention in a timely manner and hence save lives.

Dr. Tappoo says they are extremely grateful to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for their kind donation.

She says the LDS church and Sai Prema Foundation Fiji share similar values in that love and service to humanity are important to both our organisations.

The Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital provides free surgeries for children in Fiji and the Pacific Islands who suffer from congenital heart disease.

260 children have been given a new ‘Gift of Life’ with free life-saving heart surgeries, over 14,000 children have been provided with free Echocardiograms.

Children from Fiji, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Christmas Island and Tuvalu have been recipients of free heart surgeries.

The foundation says these visits have been made possible by the international team of surgeons, specialists and medical professionals who come from all over the world to operate on our children.

They come from countries including United States of America, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, India, Oman, United Kingdom, Czech Republic and Slovenia.