Local doctors are undergoing training with specialists from India who are performing the open heart surgery at the Lautoka Hospital

Local doctors are undergoing training with specialists from India who are performing the open heart surgery at the Lautoka Hospital.

This comes after two successful operations were completed yesterday under the public-private partnership under Aspen Medical.

Chief Executive Annette Owttrim says they have a 20 member team who are doing the complex surgery.

“Heart surgery is incredibly complex and what we have done is bring a whole team and it’s a bit like sports. The team is so used to working together that on such intricate surgery the whole team is now here to work and that team will in future be training our own Fijian staff.”

According to Owttrim, the plan is to have two teams of local doctors perform the critical operation on their own.

Fiji National Provident Fund Chair Daksesh Patel says to have a permanent service now based locally is a win for all Fijians.

“The ultimate beneficiary of this great project which FNPF participated with Aspen Medical Australia will bring tremendous benefit to the people of Fiji who have not had this medical services otherwise provided to them on a permanent basis.”

The cost of the setup at Lautoka Hospital is close to a million dollars.