Heart Disease in Fiji. A Research Project

Two years ago I was lucky enough to work in a beautiful remote area of Fiji teaching english to school children. This experience opened up my eyes to the discrepancy between our health system here in New Zealand and that in Fiji. Almost everyone I met had a heart breaking story about a loved one, a young husband, a young father, a sister who had died suddenly following a heart attack.

Fiji has traditionally had the highest mortality rates due to ischaemic heart disease in the pacific region. Fiji also records an extremely high prevalence of premature sudden death in the community rather than the hospital setting. Post mortem results have shown that 65% of these deaths are due to ischaemic heart disease ("heart attacks").

So this year- when it came time to choose where I would go for my elective placement in my final year of medicine, Fiji was an obvious first choice.

I decided to take on a research project which looked at cardiovascular risk factors in areas which had limited health resources and were difficult to access. I plan to visit these areas and measure blood pressure, blood sugar levels as well as BMI. Are these problems for the Fijian people? And if they are- how can they be addressed.

To do this I need your help. I have already covered the flights and accommodation, but the research project itself has further costs. Your help will go towards medical supplies, boat transport to these remote areas, a translator and a cultural advisor as well as research permit costs.

If any donations are made above the base costs of the project these will be donated in full to the villages to help rebuild after Cyclone Winston.

No donation is too small, no donation is too big, any help is thoroughly appreciated. Lets help Fiji get more gold medals at the olympics in the future!

All love,

Ali