Fiji former PM in Vadodara, Gujarat for knee surgery - another coup for medical tourism
A coup for medical tourism? Fiji former PM in Vadodara for knee surgery
Sitiveni Rabuka compares his problem to Vajpayee's: PMs carry country’s burden on shoulders, spend much of their time on their knees praying'
Vadodara, March 26: The promoters of medical tourism in Vadodara may have found an unusual mascot in former Fiji prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who once led a coup in his country. For Rabuka, who after the coup went on to become the country's democratically elected prime minister, is in the city for a knee replacement surgery.
As a patient to the city's leading orthopaedic doctor Dr Bharat Mody, Rabuka, on his first day at the hospital, held forth on subjects other than his knee — Fijian politics, Sonia Gandhi’s resignation and India's triumph at the Commonwealth Games.
Rabuka, accompanied by his wife, said he narrowed down his choice to Dr Mody after months of correspondence for a knee-replacement surgery after endorsements from Dr Mody;s other patients in his country. "He had good references from people I know back home and it worked out," said a genial Rabuka who is here sans any official trappings either of an ex-prime minister or even an army chief. He explained the entourage absence simply by saying it was a private visit.
For a city which has been mulling over its tourism potential at the CII conference with state politicians since Saturday, Rabuka's visit could not have come at a more appropriate time.
"The very fact that Vadodara is a smaller, comfortable city can be turned into a medical tourism advantage," said Dr Mody, who specialises in knee-replacement surgery. "The expertise here is at par with Ahmedabad or any other bigger city."
Dr Mody who said he collaborated with Australian experts said that he had a steady stream of Fijian patients, numbering 60, most of them from the close-knit but wealthy Fijian-Gujarati community. On his only visit to Fiji Islands, a radio talk helped him get more NRI patients. It is the Fiji government which will pay Rabuka's medical bills.
At ease with a smattering of Hindi and Nepalese, the former prime minister jocularly compared his knee problem with that of India's ex-PM Atal Behari Vajpayee, saying prime ministers tend to carry the burden of their country on their shoulders and spend much time "praying on their knees."
Sitiveni Rabuka compares his problem to Vajpayee's: PMs carry country’s burden on shoulders, spend much of their time on their knees praying'
Vadodara, March 26: The promoters of medical tourism in Vadodara may have found an unusual mascot in former Fiji prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who once led a coup in his country. For Rabuka, who after the coup went on to become the country's democratically elected prime minister, is in the city for a knee replacement surgery.
As a patient to the city's leading orthopaedic doctor Dr Bharat Mody, Rabuka, on his first day at the hospital, held forth on subjects other than his knee — Fijian politics, Sonia Gandhi’s resignation and India's triumph at the Commonwealth Games.
Rabuka, accompanied by his wife, said he narrowed down his choice to Dr Mody after months of correspondence for a knee-replacement surgery after endorsements from Dr Mody;s other patients in his country. "He had good references from people I know back home and it worked out," said a genial Rabuka who is here sans any official trappings either of an ex-prime minister or even an army chief. He explained the entourage absence simply by saying it was a private visit.
For a city which has been mulling over its tourism potential at the CII conference with state politicians since Saturday, Rabuka's visit could not have come at a more appropriate time.
"The very fact that Vadodara is a smaller, comfortable city can be turned into a medical tourism advantage," said Dr Mody, who specialises in knee-replacement surgery. "The expertise here is at par with Ahmedabad or any other bigger city."
Dr Mody who said he collaborated with Australian experts said that he had a steady stream of Fijian patients, numbering 60, most of them from the close-knit but wealthy Fijian-Gujarati community. On his only visit to Fiji Islands, a radio talk helped him get more NRI patients. It is the Fiji government which will pay Rabuka's medical bills.
At ease with a smattering of Hindi and Nepalese, the former prime minister jocularly compared his knee problem with that of India's ex-PM Atal Behari Vajpayee, saying prime ministers tend to carry the burden of their country on their shoulders and spend much time "praying on their knees."
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