A young Samoan teenager has the chance to return to the classroom after receiving fully funded heart surgery at Pacific Specialist Healthcare (PSH) in Fiji, following years away from school.
The 15-year-old from Lalomanu, Aleipata stopped attending school four years ago in 2022 because her deteriorating health made the daily walk to class too difficult.
Malama’s miracle came when her father was contracted to drive the PSH team around, while they were in Samoa last month for the Pasifika Specialist Healthcare (PSH) Samoa groundbreaking event.
Malama’s father described his daughter’s condition to PSH founder Tagaloafaaofonuu Parvish Kumar and PSH cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon Dr Sanjeev Khulbey.
She had been suffering since she was 11 years old, with a persistent cough and trouble breathing. The PSH Team immediately offered to help.
Malama was seen by Dr Sanjeev at the VIP Lounge of Faleolo International Airport before the PSH team departed for Fiji. Dr Sanjeev confirmed rheumatic heart disease, which had severely damaged three of the teenager’s four heart valves. He said Malama had struggled to walk, carry out everyday activities, or sleep properly.
Within days of Dr Sanjeev’s diagnosis, Malama and her mother, Mrs Lavei Aitogi Iefata, were on a flight to PSH Nadi to receive corrective heart surgery, fully funded by PSH Founder, Tagaloafaaofonuu Parvish Kumar through the PSH Foundation.
They travelled to Fiji on Sunday 20 September, and returned to Samoa in just nine days, on Thursday 1st October, with Malama celebrating her 15th birthday at PSH Nadi that week!
“We celebrated and cut a cake,” said Dr Sanjeev. “It was on 29 September which is also World Heart Day!” he added.
“During the high-risk operation, surgeons replaced her mitral and aortic valves with mechanical implants and repaired her tricuspid valve.”
Tagaloafaaofonuu Parvish had offered to fund Malama’s treatment through the PSH Foundation. The sponsorship covered her surgery, as well as return airfares and accommodation for Malama and her mother.
“Yes, we covered all costs,” Tagaloafaaofonuu confirmed.
“Children are the future of our society, and part of the PSH vision is to ensure life saving modern medicine is accessible to all, and especially our children who are the future of our Pacific communities.”
The sponsorship forms part of PSH’s commitment to help vulnerable Samoan patients access specialist treatment, when the cost would otherwise put crucial healthcare beyond their families’ reach.
The Foundation is supported by donations from PSH partners and individuals who have received treatment from its healthcare specialists.
PSH hopes it will become an important part of the organisation’s future presence in Samoa and provide another pathway for vulnerable patients to receive necessary specialist care.
SGN provides free public notices to SamCo and all high schools in Samoa.
For young Malama Iafeta, the surgery brings hope of returning to school and continuing her education, which had been affected by her illness.
In Samoa, clinical prevalence surveys among school-aged children aged 5–17 estimated a high burden of rheumatic heart disease, while echo-screening programs noted definite rheumatic heart disease rates of about 1.43% in children aged 5–13.
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