News

Westmead Private Hospital Staff Members Give Time to Support Those In Need In Fiji

Jul 03, 2012

Westmead Private Hospital's, Nurse Unit Manager & Cardiac Clinical Coordinator, Julie Hulston, Dr Ian Nicholson (Cardiothoric Surgeon) & Dr Ajay Kumar (Perfusionist) have just returned from Fiji with Operation Open Heart where they helped save the lives of 34 Fijians at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva over 14 days.

Julie, Ian & Ajay were part of a Team from Operation Open Heart that provided life changing surgery to patients suffering from congenital and rheumatic heart disease. In Fiji they have no other access to cardiac surgery. For patients suffering with cardiac disease, this means that Operation Open Heart is their only chance of receiving the critical treatment they desperately need.

For Julie it was her 6th trip and she said "It was a wonderful experience and very rewarding and nice to give something to those that do not have access to cardiac health at all. The locals are extremely grateful".

Julie, Dr Nicholson & Dr Kumar volunteer their time and also make financial contributions. The team, which include surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses are self sufficient and need to take all their equipment and supplies for each trip - approximately 3 tonnes of equipment is shipped from Australia for each trip!

Tim Daniel, Chief Executive Officer said "I am extremely proud of our Team, we sometimes take for granted the complex clinical expertise we have at Westmead Private Hospital, it is nice for our staff to give back to those who are less fortunate than us".