Shania Shayal Prasad 
Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital
Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital is now focusing on in-depth screening programs across the country amid a rising number of patients who are diagnosed with congenital heart defects.
Currently, 200 cases of congenital heart defects are recorded annually in Fiji; however, there continues to be an upward trend compared to previous years.
Director Sumeet Tappoo says late presentation remains a major challenge, which also delays treatment and recovery.
“Unfortunately, the reality is that a lot of parents don’t know that their children have heart disease. So it’s important to screen as many patients as possible, and therefore we’ll find more patients and save more lives because, unfortunately, what happens is if a child does not know if the parent doesn’t know that the child has heart disease, it comes to a point where the lesions are so complex that the child cannot be saved.”
According to Tappoo, they will also focus on expanding their school and community screening programs for early detection.
