Photo by Linny Folau

By Eleanor Gee

Six Tongans are undergoing pacemaker surgery at Vaiola Hospital for the first time, performed by a team of volunteer medical practitioners from New Zealand on 15-16 August, marking a historic moment for health in Tonga.

A pacemaker is a small device that is inserted into a person to help regulate their heartbeat by emitting a small electric stimulation when required. The patients, aged between 77 and 90 years have already had pacemakers inserted but need to have them replaced.

The surgery team, part of an organization called Pacific Island Pacemakers Services (PIPS), includes Dr Dean Boddington, a cardiologist specializing in electrical cardiology (electrophysiology), Fiona Riddell, Cardiac physiologist, and Charmaine Flynn-Hooker, nurse.

Dr Boddington said that on average, pacemakers last for around eight years before they needed replacing. 

“So that’s why we’re here is to replace them. If we don’t replace them, the patients will die,” he said.

"This is the first time we're providing operating services in Tonga. Surgery normally takes on average around 45 minutes for each patient in New Zealand, and patients are usually allowed to go home on the same day," said Dr Boddington. “But I think the patients will stay overnight here just as a precaution, but normally we would do it as a day case.”

Cardiac Physiologist, Fiona Riddell said under PIPS, they have been performing pacemaker surgeries in Fiji, which included patients from Tonga and Samoa, prompting her to look at providing follow up services in Tonga.

“We had some patients with pacemakers in Tonga who have been going to Fiji and the patients from Tonga and Samoa don’t have any follow-up, so I just contacted the local doctors and said would you like some follow up and it started from there a few years ago.”

High costs

Dr Sione Latu, Cardiologist at Vaiola Hospital said normally Tongan patients would have to travel overseas to get the same pacemaker procedure done at a high cost.

“To take a patient to New Zealand, it would cost around NZD$23,000 for a pacemaker operation.”

Instead, he said the Tongan Government has been fortunate to be able to purchase pacemakers at NZD$8,000 each and have the New Zealand team visit Tonga to perform the procedure at a lower cost.

At the moment, Dr Sione Latu said they cannot perform new pacemaker surgery but there are plans to do so in the future.

“We need an image intensifier machine which helps doctors see the operation live when inserting wires to attach to the heart.”

“We have bought one but it could not be shipped here in time for the team to perform new pacemaker surgery. Next year when we get the image intensifier machine we will be able to,” he said.