Sainiani Boila 
The late presentation of children with heart diseases makes cardiac doctors unable to perform relevant operations.
A New Zealand pediatric cardiologist, Dr. John Wright, says it is therefore crucial for parents to ensure all their children undergo cardiac checkups.
Dr. Wright, who is currently collaborating with the Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital, says some heart diseases can be detected at an early age.
“There are some heart problems that don’t cause problems in children, but if you leave it alone and don’t treat the heart problem, they become sick when they reach adulthood, so it’s very important that children are picked up by screening, which the hospital here does before they become unwell. So that’s one group, so it’s very important to catch these children and treat them before they are unwell.”
Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Wright says in other cases, children are unwell, and if operations are not done early, they will not be able to live longer.
“It’s important to pick up the problem soon and be able to offer the surgery soon.” It is in my experience, it’s sad when we come in trips and that there are children where it’s too late to offer surgery so that is the sad part because we do not have the opportunity to offer the surgery early.”
Dr. Wright will come back to Fiji with a medical team from New Zealand to undertake cardiac operations on children next month.
Dr. John Wright.
The team will be working with Sai Sajeevani Children’s Hospital for two weeks.
