The Foundation’s commitment to serve the underprivileged and needy people of Fiji is exemplified with the building of South Pacific’s first Children’s Heart Hospital n Suva, Fiji. This $25 million development is the largest project ever undertaken by any NGO in Fiji’s history. This Hospital project is in association with the Ministry of Health and the Government of Fiji which has provided the land for this purpose.
It is in fact a matter of great pride that Fiji is the first nation in the Pacific and Oceania region to have a specialist Children’s Heart Hospital treating children with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD). It is worth noting that both Australia and New Zealand do not have such a specialist Hospital.
Our Foundation has identified Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) as a major problem affecting the children of Fiji and the Pacific. Every year, approximately 200 children are born in Fiji and approximately 2,500 children are born in the Pacific with CHD. The sad fact is that most children are unable to survive.
The vision of this children’s heart hospital is to become the most important pediatric cardiac care centre for Fiji and the Pacific Island nations. Pursuant to the principles of the Foundation, no child or parent pays for the surgery. All services at the Hospital including Heart Surgery are provided completely free of charge.
The FJD$25million hospital was officially inaugurated by the then Prime Minister of Fiji on 27th April 2022. This hospital is the largest charitable project undertaken by an NGO in the history of Fiji.
Despite the charitable nature of the project, the Sai Prema Foundation has created a world-class facility with the aim of providing the best possible surgery and treatment to the children of Fiji and the Pacific. The Hospital houses state-of-the-art equipment for its Cathaterisation Lab, Operation Theatre, Intensive Care Unit, Pre-Operation and Post-Operation Wards. The Hospital also includes a Training Centre with technological capabilities for international Video Conferencing.
The Sai Prema Foundation is committed to providing free training abroad for Fijians in its bid to build local capacity with a vision of one day transforming this specialist Hospital into one which is run with local Fijian Surgeons, Doctors and Medical personnel.