Pacific Specialist Healthcare (PHS) founder and CEO Parvish Kumar has been honoured with a distinguished Samoan chiefly title in recognition of his contribution to the health and wellbeing of people in Samoa and the wider Pacific.
Kumar has been bestowed the title Tagaloafaaofonuu and will now be known as Tagaloafaaofonuu Parvish Kumar.
He says he is deeply honoured and humbled by the recognition.
The significance of the title was highlighted by Suva lawyer and public commentator Jiaoji Savou in a Facebook post on Sunday.
Savou says the name Tagaloa carries profound ancestral and spiritual significance in Samoan and wider Polynesian traditions.
He says bestowing such a title, particularly on someone outside traditional Samoan genealogical lines, represents a deliberate and formal expression of gratitude for service to the community.
Savou says the honour recognises Kumar’s contribution to the welfare of the Samoan people, particularly through PSH Hospitals’ treatment of Samoan patients, provision of complex medical procedures and efforts to make specialist healthcare more accessible to Pacific communities.
He says the title also carries responsibilities centred on service, respect and a continuing commitment to the wellbeing of others.
Kumar established Pacific Specialist Healthcare in Suva in 2016 following a career in academia, including work in pharmacy and medical education.
PSH has since grown into a specialist healthcare provider with specialist doctors, nurses and other medical professionals providing services to patients in Fiji and the wider Pacific.
The organisation later established its flagship 130-bed hospital at Legalega in Nadi.
The facility, located near Nadi International Airport, was officially opened by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka on 4th July, 2023.
PSH Hospitals provides specialist consultations, advanced diagnostic services and medical and surgical procedures to patients from Fiji and other Pacific Island countries.
The hospital has treated patients from Samoa, Tonga and other Pacific nations, allowing some patients to access specialist treatment in Fiji rather than travelling further overseas.
PSH Hospitals has also been working with stakeholders in Samoa on plans for a specialist hospital in Savaiʻi, aimed at improving access to healthcare for people on Samoa’s largest island.
For Kumar, the chiefly title represents more than recognition of the growth of PSH Hospitals.
It also reflects the impact of providing patients and their families with access to specialist healthcare closer to home and within the Pacific.
The honour adds to Kumar’s journey from academia to establishing a healthcare institution whose services now extend beyond Fiji and into the wider Pacific.
