MEDICAL OUTREACH, EDUCATION AND CONTINUING CARE
Fiji Islands | Western Division, Viti Levu (Main Island) | 22 – 28 August 2026
Continuing their annual health-Care camps to Fiji since 2006, the SSSIO Zone 3 Sai Medical Unit, representing Australia, Fiji and New Zealand, successfully completed six days of outreach medical camps across Fiji from 23–28 August 2026, providing medical care to 2,274 patients from a range of communities.
Importantly, the camps extended beyond providing care on the day. A total of 197 patients with more complex medical needs were identified and referred for further investigation, specialist assessment and ongoing management. Many of these patients will be followed up through the SSSIO’s newly established Viseisei Sai Specialist Centre, helping to provide continuity of care beyond the outreach camps.
A Truly Collaborative International Mission
The mission brought together 94 participants from Australia, New Zealand and the United States, who worked alongside approximately 20 SSSIO Fiji volunteers. These numbers included 15 new overseas volunteers.
An important feature of this year’s programme was the involvement of the next generation of healthcare professionals. Each day, approximately 15 medical students and 15 nursing students joined our teams, gaining valuable clinically oriented learning and practical exposure across the diverse specialties represented within the mission.
The strength of the medical camps lay in the breadth and depth of our multidisciplinary healthcare team. With expertise spanning medicine, surgery, women’s and children’s health, dentistry, rehabilitation, eye care, diagnostic services and nursing, together with junior and senior medical staff and a dedicated group of skilled volunteers, the camps functioned much like a mobile multidisciplinary hospital.
This collaborative model enabled patients presenting with a wide variety of health concerns to receive comprehensive assessment and care, often involving input from several disciplines during the same visit. Where more complex problems were identified, appropriate referral pathways were established to facilitate ongoing care.
Education – Building Capacity for the Future
The six-day medical mission was preceded by two days dedicated to healthcare education, reflecting our commitment not only to treating patients but also to sharing knowledge, strengthening clinical skills and supporting the future healthcare workforce of Fiji.
Nursing Education Seminar – 21 August 2026
The first seminar was led by our nursing team and attended by more than 200 local nursing students.
More than six experienced senior nurses from the Zone 3 team delivered a combination of lectures and practical, hands-on teaching sessions. The programme was extremely well received and provided an excellent opportunity for professional interaction, knowledge sharing and practical skills development.
The enthusiastic participation of the students highlighted the value of combining the annual medical outreach programme with education and capacity building, allowing the expertise within visiting teams to have an impact extending well beyond the duration of the camps themselves.
Medical Student Seminar – 22 August 2026
The second educational programme was organised for UPSM medical students from Years 2 to 4, with most participants being Year 3 students.
More than 60 students participated, including students joining remotely through Zoom. Eight presentations were delivered by experienced senior doctors representing a diverse range of medical specialties.
The sessions were very well received and provided an opportunity for students to learn from clinicians with extensive practical and specialist experience.
Building on the success of these educational programmes, there are plans to continue supporting healthcare education in Fiji through webinars, digital learning platforms and ongoing professional collaboration.
Beyond a Medical Camp
The 2026 Fiji mission demonstrated the evolving role of the SSSIO Zone 3 Medical Programme – moving beyond episodic multidisciplinary outreach and healthcare education towards a more integrated model incorporating clinical service, referral pathways and longer-term patient follow-up involving it’s Viseisei Sai Specialist Centre.
Through the dedication of healthcare professionals, students and volunteers from Fiji and overseas, the mission was able not only to serve 2,274 patients, but also to identify those requiring further care, strengthen the skills of future healthcare professionals and establish opportunities for continued clinical and educational collaboration.
At the heart of the entire programme remained the fundamental principle of selfless service – bringing compassionate healthcare closer to those who need it, while sharing knowledge and skills that can continue to benefit communities long after the medical camps have concluded.
The Camps
Over the 6 days, each camp was conducted at a different location. Day 1 was at Ba, Day 2, Ra, Day 3 Vatukoula, Day 4 Nawaicoba Nandi, Day 5 Cuvu College, Sigatoka and Day 6 Gurucul Primary School, Lautoka.
The camps were often facilitated in local school buildings which were organised in registration, triage, and for the various disciplines, consultation/treatment areas. The days began very early with packing of the multitude of medical equipment and supplies, and associated necessities, transport to the new camp site, unpacking and setting up the facilities, then a full day of attending to the numerous people seeking advice
and treatment. At the conclusion of the day, the camp was dismantled, packed in transport, transported to the storage area and unpacked for storage for the night, along with transport of all the volunteers. This procedure being repeated each day, together with the individual days unforeseen complications in the routine, resulting in some days being much longer than others.
Taking Healthcare Closer to the People
Most camps had patients already waiting for treatment before they were set up with registration being started about 8.30 am each day.
Many of the patients attending came from remote and rural communities. This was precisely the type of community the outreach programme aims to serve — taking healthcare beyond the major urban centres and closer to people for whom accessing medical and specialist services can be difficult.
The strength of the camps were the diversity and breadth of the multidisciplinary healthcare team. Patients were able to receive comprehensive assessment, advice and treatment for a wide range of medical concerns, with different disciplines working collaboratively and referring between one another when required.
A broad spectrum of health problems was encountered, including chronic medical conditions, musculoskeletal complaints, injuries associated with rural and physically demanding lifestyles, and conditions requiring further investigation or specialist assessment. The multidisciplinary nature of the team allowed many patients to have several aspects of their healthcare addressed during a single visit.
For communities where distance, transport and access to healthcare can present significant barriers, bringing such a broad range of clinical expertise directly to the community was particularly valuable.
The days were busy but demonstrating both the significant need within the community and the commitment of every volunteer to providing compassionate and well-organised care.
On Day 4, a pre-booked endoscopy list commenced at midday at the Viseisei Sai Specialist Centre. Concerningly, three of the six patients who underwent upper or and lower gastrointestinal endoscopy were found to have gastrointestinal malignancies, highlighting the importance of timely access to specialist investigations.
Acknowledgement and Gratitude
Our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation go to every well-wisher, supporter and medical camp participant whose contribution, in so many different ways, made this mission possible.
Above all, we offer our deepest gratitude to our beloved Bhagawan, for working through each one of us and enabling this sacred mission of love and service to unfold. We pray that He continues to guide us along this path of Seva — where service to others becomes a means of our own self-transformation.
May we continue to be worthy instruments of His love, bringing compassion, hope and healing to all whom we are privileged to serve.
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