The Rotary Club of Whanganui North is a close partner of the Vaiola Hospital in Tonga.
The Rotary Club of Whanganui North is a close partner of the Vaiola Hospital in Tonga.
A global grant and more than $500,000 of donations have been provided to the Rotary Club of Whanganui North for its ongoing medical work in Tonga.
Orthopaedic surgeon and Rotary Club of Whanganui North member Dr John van Dalen has travelled to Tonga up to four times a year for the past six years.
During the visits, van Dalen works with Vaiola Hospital in Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa, to carry out 12-14 operations per trip.
Three years ago the club raised $90,000 to finance van Dalen’s trips and to buy $35,000 of orthopaedic surgical trauma equipment which van Dalen said was “sorely needed”.
Whanganui's Dr John van Dalen (centre) with the surgical team at Vaiola Hospital, Dr Marina Tuinukuafe (left) and and Dr Bill Tangi.
As the project comes to its final year, van Dalen and the Rotary Club plan to address the issue of joint replacement surgery in Tonga and the wider Pacific Islands.
Van Dalen said a combination of a lack of suitable operating theatres and the cost of joint replacement surgery meant it could not be carried out in Tonga, forcing people to live with chronic pain and disabilities.
The new project is planned to take place over the next three years, starting in early 2025, with stage one focusing on refurbishing the existing operating theatres at Vaiola Hospital.
The operating theatres have only a heat pump for temperature control and no HEPA filters which remove dust, pollen, mould and bacteria from the air.
The operating theatre at Vaiola Hospital in Tonga has a heat pump for temperature control.
Two theatres will be fully upgraded, including air conditioning and HEPA filters as well as stainless steel wall linings that aid in efficient sterilisation.
“The upgrade will help minimise the risk of infection to a level acceptable to international best practice,” van Dalen said.
Indian company Pharma Tech will upgrade the theatres, with pre-fabrication work already started. Installation is planned for February 15 to April 11 next year.
The proposed new operating theatre at Vaiola Hospital is being funded through donations collected by Rotary Club of Whanganui North and made by Pharma Tech.
The upgrades will also benefit other international groups that provide medical aid, including a cardiac team from Australia.
The total value of stage one is $503,513.
The Rotary Club of Whanganui North won a global grant of NZ$48,382 from the Rotary Foundation to go toward stage one of the project.
It is the second Rotary Foundation global grant awarded to the club. It received one for orthopaedic surgical trauma equipment as part of van Dalen’s recent project in Tonga.
Eight New Zealand Rotary Clubs and one Australian Rotary Club have raised NZ$178,661 for stage one.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated $276,469 to stage one, which enabled the project to start last month.
The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church is donating $129,595 to stage two to enable the first year of operations.
“The Rotary Club of Whanganui North and the people of Tonga owe a great debt of gratitude to the two churches,” van Dalen said.
“The project would not be proceeding without their generosity.”
Van Dalen will travel to Tonga in November 2025 for stage two of the project - a pilot programme conducting arthroplasty operations which aid in restoring function to joints.
Two trained theatre nurses and a logistics support person will accompany him.
If the pilot goes well, up to nine operations a year will be considered for 2026 and subsequent years.
The Rotary Club considered a number of solutions to the issues with joint surgery in Tonga. The project was deemed the most sustainable as upskilling staff and upgrading theatres would allow quality procedures to continue outside the club’s work.
