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Pacific Specialist Healthcare (PSH) Hospitals has welcomed the announcement by Fiji Airways of direct flights between Cairns, Australia and Nadi from April 10 this year.

PSH founder and chief executive officer Parvish Kumar said the national carrier’s direct flights from Australia to Fiji opened up doors for medical tourism, with his hospital located a stone’s throw away from Nadi International Airport.

“We share a common vision with the government of the day and have started working towards achieving our goals of turning Fiji into an attractive destination for tourists who want to travel for health reasons,” he said.

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Kumar said the new thrice-weekly connection from Cairns every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, landing in Fiji around 4 hours and 30 minutes later would give more Australians direct access to world-class medical services instantly upon touching down into Nadi.

“While Australian citizens make up the largest number of visitors to Fiji annually, they do not need a visa to visit Fiji for tourism purposes if their stay is less than four months and this is an added advantage.”

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He said PSH Hospitals was able to carry out medical procedures for Australians at a cost far less than they would normally pay in their home country.

“An average Australian could pay around $100,000 for a heart bypass surgery and here at PSH Hospitals we can offer the same for a fraction of that cost.

“Shockingly, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is Australia’s top killer, taking the life of one in every four Australians.

“In 2021, it was the underlying cause of death in 42,700 deaths – that is 25% of all deaths.

“According to statistics, every 12 minutes, one Australian dies from CVD. That’s 118 deaths every day.”