The first-ever open-heart surgery as a permanent service was completed yesterday at the Lautoka Hospital under Aspen Medical.
Aspen Medical Chief Executive, Annette Owttrim says the past 24 hours has seen a historic milestone for the people of Fiji and Lautoka Hospital.
She says the 55-year-old patient is recovering well and is expected to be discharged from the hospital by next week.
Owttrim says patient well-being and care are always their paramount concern.
She says they have spent a lot of time preparing and planning for this surgery, sourcing the right equipment, getting the right people on board, and meeting all the necessities to ensure patient safety.
She says this obviously took a lot of time.
Owttrim says while they faced some setbacks due to COVID-19 which resulted in the delay of the operations, she is content that they can give the people of Fiji the best services available internationally, right here in Fiji at their very own Lautoka Hospital.
She says they have another patient who has just come out of surgery and is now in the dedicated cardiothoracic ICU.
On the patient waiting list – Owttrim says clinical tests are being carried out and the patients selected for the surgeries are being contacted according to a priority list from a clinical perspective.
She thanked the Fijian Government for providing Aspen Medical with the opportunity to provide services in Fiji, their partners FNPF and MIOT and most importantly she thanks the people of Fiji for placing their trust in Aspen Medical.
She further says with the recent installation of state-of-the-art equipment at both the Ba and Lautoka Campuses, they will continue to upgrade the facilities to be able to provide the best health care possible.
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