Archbishop Peter Loy Chong remains admitted at the Aspen Lautoka Hospital following a heart failure that required emergency surgery.
The Catholic Church said in a statement the archbishop had been admitted since September 5 after developing an intestinal obstruction while attending a Leadership Fiji workshop at the Shangri-La Fijian Resort in Sigatoka.
“He was initially placed under observation and conservative treatment and a scan confirmed an obstruction of the small intestine,” the church said.
“An operation was scheduled two days after admission, but due to a sudden increase in heart rate, the procedure was brought forward.
“Just before entering the operating theatre, His Grace suffered a heart attack. The medical team responded immediately, stabilising him, and proceeded with an emergency surgery at 3.30am to relieve the obstruction.”
During the operation, doctors found the obstruction had resolved itself, though inflammation of the small intestine remained.
“Internal cleaning was performed before closing the abdomen. Archbishop Chong was then transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and later to the Coronary Care Unit for close monitoring of his heart.
“By Monday, 15th September, His Grace had shown remarkable improvement. Though recovery was initially slow, his health has progressed steadily, and medical teams remain optimistic about his continued healing.
“Archbishop Chong conveys his heartfelt gratitude to all parishes, communities, and individuals for their prayers, thoughts, and words of encouragement during this time of illness.”
