Tongan patients travel to Fiji for treatment unavailable at home

Three Tongan patients are among a group receiving heart treatment in Fiji after doctors in the island kingdom determined they needed specialist care not available in the country.

The patients are being treated at Pacific Specialist Healthcare (PSH) Hospitals in Nadi where they have undergone procedures including angiography and the insertion of stents.

For 40-year-old construction worker Manase Likiliki, the need for treatment came suddenly after he developed severe chest pain.

“I was busy at work one day and suddenly felt a lot of pain in my chest so I immediately went to the hospital for a check-up,” Likiliki said.

He was later told by cardiologists at Vaiola Hospital in Nuku’alofa that he needed treatment overseas.

“My name was added to the list of patients eligible to travel with all expenses paid, and I wish to thank my government, as well as the hospital management and staff, for taking such good care of me."

Tongan patients with members of the Pacific Specialist Healthcare team following their treatment in Fiji. Photo/Supplied

The group is accompanied by Dr Annalisa Faanunu, a medical officer specialising in internal medicine at Vaiola Hospital.

She said the Tongan government, through its Ministry of Health, had covered the eligible patients' airfares, accommodation and medical costs.

“This is my first trip to Fiji and I feel privileged to be accompanying a group of patients who are here to receive treatment, mainly involving non-invasive procedures such as angioplasty and stent placement,” Faanunu said.

Dr Annalisa Faanunu, a medical officer at Vaiola Hospital in Tonga, accompanied the patients to Fiji for specialist cardiac treatment. Photo/Supplied

“Everything has been taken care of by our government, and I sincerely thank the Ministry of Health for covering the patients’ airfares, accommodation and medical expenses,” she said.

Faanunu said sedentary lifestyles, processed foods and a lack of physical activity were contributing to the high levels of heart disease in Tonga, with patient numbers continuing to rise.

The challenge extends well beyond Tonga. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of premature death across Pacific island countries.

The WHO says this accounts for about 75 per cent of all deaths with heart disease and diabetes among the biggest threats.

For 28-year-old seasonal worker Sione Aleamotua, getting help quickly was critical after he developed severe chest pain.

“I started experiencing severe chest pains and immediately went to hospital because I know time is of the essence,” Aleamotua said.

"That’s what I want to say to everyone: if you have chest pain, don’t delay - go to the hospital straight away.”

He was found to have a blocked artery and received a stent in Fiji.

The treatment is part of a wider regional referral system that allows Pacific patients to travel when specialist care is not available in their home countries.

PSH says it has treated patients from Tonga, Sāmoa, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Nauru, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, and is expanding its cardiac services in Fiji.

The private hospital says it has performed more than 150 open-heart procedures and over 1000 non-invasive cardiology procedures including angiography and stenting.

Parvish Kumar, PSH founder and chief executive, said the hospital wanted to make specialist care more accessible to people across the region.

Pacific Specialist Healthcare completed its first open-heart surgery in Fiji in 2024, marking a milestone in the country's specialist cardiac care. Photo/Supplied

“As our name demonstrates, we are a hospital for the people of the Pacific, and we shall continue to serve the wider Pacific community as we move forward,” Kumar said in a statement.

The treatment of the Tongan patients comes as Fiji builds its capacity to provide specialist healthcare within the Pacific and reduce the need for some patients to travel further overseas.

For families across the region, the wider challenge remains ensuring people can access specialist treatment early enough and as close to home as possible.