The Pacific Specialist Healthcare Foundation has been commended for its bold efforts to deliver life-saving medical care to the most disadvantaged communities.

While officially launching the PSH Foundation, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad stated that the Foundation’s work aligns closely with national priorities.

Since its inception in 2016, the hospital has expanded rapidly, offering services such as gynecology, plastic surgery, cardiology, urology, and orthopedics many of which were previously unavailable or unaffordable locally.

Pacific Specialist Healthcare Foundation Chief Executive, Parvish Kumar says they are providing hope to families facing difficult health challenges, especially those held back by financial struggles.

“Access to healthcare should be a basic fundamental right.It shouldn’t be that only if you have got money in your pocket, then only you should be able to see a doctor. Everyone should be able to see a doctor when they are sick.”

Professor Prasad says the new PSH Foundation will focus on giving free or low-cost surgeries to people who need help the most.

“And I think this is very commendable. And as a government, as a minister of finance, I have said this all along, right from the beginning that government has to work with the people outside of government.”

Professor Prasad also welcomed PSH’s plans to offer cancer treatment which will stop patients from needing to travel overseas.

He says cancer in Fiji is responsible for about 11% of total deaths and unfortunately 30 percent of deaths are cancer-related and are mainly attributable to lifestyle factors.

The Finance Minister says that the new planned radiotherapy treatment by the hospital will help better treat Fiji’s cancer patients and avoid patients having to spend significant amounts of money to be treated overseas.

He adds that the government is working with international partners to upgrade major hospitals and build new ones, including a new super-specialty hospital in Suva.

Professor Prasad says that the government will continue to support organizations like PSH that are working to improve healthcare in the country.

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