THREE children have been discharged from the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital in Suva after successfully undergoing life-saving heart surgeries.
The young patients, 13-year-old Genete Ponitini from Tonga, Mohammed Zeyan Hassan, 9, and Timoci Raitube, 7, from Fiji, were overcome with emotion and gratitude as they were sent home with what their families described as a “new gift of life”.
For Rehana Hassan, a single mother from Pacific Harbour, her son Mohammed’s journey was one filled with “fear and faith”.
“I didn’t know what to do,” she said.
“Here, we didn’t just find medical care, we found love, support, and hope.”
From Tonga, Kaati Ponitini expressed similar gratitude after witnessing her daughter’s recovery.
“The doctors and nurses treated us with so much kindness and care,” Ms Ponitini said.
“Today, my daughter is smiling again, and that’s the biggest blessing of all.”
Hospital Director Dr Krupali Tappoo said what once seemed impossible for those families became a reality through compassion and service.
“Their stories stand as a testament to the transformative power of faith and service, which continues to beat strong within Sai Sanjeevani’s walls,” Dr Tappoo said.
“This has become a hospital where every surgery is a gift of life and every heartbeat echoes a miracle of love.”
Since its establishment, the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital has performed 419 free heart surgeries and conducted 38,083 echocardiograms for children across Fiji and the Pacific.
Dr Tappoo also thanked supporters and partners, including the first secretary trade and economic of the New Zealand High Commission, Adham Crichton, general manager of Novotel Suva, Captain Rainer Hoehn and Mrs Mareile Hoehn, and Dr Monica Brook, along with the ICU team from New Zealand and Australia, who continue to perform free surgeries for children in the region.
