Asata Dauvere (left), with her mother Luisa Cavalevu after undergoing surgery at the Sai Sanjeevani Children's Hospital.

Luisa Cavalevu has counted the free life-saving open-heart surgery for her seven-year-old daughter, Asata Dauvere, as a blessing in disguise.

This as her daughter together with eight other children were given a new lease of life through surgeries conducted by the Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital.

Cavalevu says they are fortunate to be offered this free-of-charge service.

“A few children were supposed to come for operation, but we are so blessed that we were the one chosen for this lot of operation. A lot of people questioned how we were going to fund the operation, because we all did not know then that it was provided for free. I would like to thank the hospital for giving my daughter a new lease of life.”

She says her daughter was diagnosed with a heart problem after undergoing a heart echocardiogram conducted by the hospital in Levuka.

Cavalevu says she was scared at first, worried about her daughter’s well-being and how to fund her treatment, but breathed a sigh of relief when she was informed of the free service offered by the hospital.

She acknowledges the hospital for providing a state-of-the-art facility and services for free to the children and people of Fiji.

A 20-member team from Mumbai, India were part of the team that conducted the free life-saving open-heart surgeries for the nine children.

Since the official opening of Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital, they have saved the lives of 81 children and conducted thousands of echocardiograms.