(NEWS) NADI, Fiji, 2026-Aug-12 — /Travel PR News/ — Fiji Airways is using its network to support child healthcare across Fiji, helping Cure Kids Fiji move doctors, researchers and specialists to the communities where their work is most urgently needed.
The partnership is designed around a simple but important reality for an island nation: distance can be one of the biggest barriers to healthcare. In Fiji, where communities are spread across islands and maritime regions, the ability to move medical expertise by air can determine whether screening, training and specialist support reach families in time.
According to details released by Fiji Airways, the airline has supported 41 flight sectors since the partnership with Cure Kids Fiji began. These included 30 domestic and 11 international sectors, helping programme employees, medical specialists and researchers deliver child health programmes, training and research across the country.
The supported initiatives have directly reached 819 people, including 716 pregnant mothers through antenatal health programmes and 103 children through rheumatic heart disease screening.
Fiji Airways Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Paul Scurrah said that in a country of scattered islands, air travel is a lifeline rather than a luxury. He said the partnership with Cure Kids Fiji allows the airline to help bring life-saving care closer to children who need it.
One example of the partnership’s practical impact came during a community health screening event at the Accor Hotels Sports Day in Nadi. Cure Kids Fiji and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services Western Division screening team offered free heart screening to families attending the event.
With Fiji Airways-supported travel, a paediatric registrar was able to fly from Labasa Hospital to Nadi to support the outreach. On the day, 103 children were screened, and several were identified with early-stage rheumatic heart disease.
That early detection is critical. At this stage, children may show no symptoms and appear healthy, meaning screening can give families access to counselling, referral and ongoing care before the disease becomes more serious.
Dr Jimaima Kailawadoko-Matanaicake, Country Manager of Cure Kids Fiji, said the event showed the value of the partnership in practical terms. She noted that something as simple as transport can change a child’s future, because it helps children access life-changing healthcare.
The partnership is also supporting wider national health work. With Fiji Airways’ assistance, Cure Kids Fiji is strengthening programmes linked to rheumatic heart disease prevention and screening, the Fiji Antenatal Study, Strep A Vaccine Global Consortium research, the Fiji Oxygen Program, and climate and respiratory health initiatives.
The impact extends beyond screenings. Travel support has helped Cure Kids Fiji reach remote locations such as Vanua Balavu, where health infrastructure upgrades are helping strengthen care in vulnerable communities. These efforts include the installation and commissioning of a solar-powered system at Lomaloma Subdivisional Hospital.
The partnership is also helping build local healthcare capability. Fiji Airways-supported travel has enabled medical officers from Labasa Hospital to travel to Suva for specialised echocardiography training. That training strengthens diagnostic capacity in the Northern Division, allowing children identified through screening to be assessed more quickly and closer to home.
International knowledge-sharing is another part of the work. Six international specialists have travelled to Fiji through the partnership to share expertise, deliver clinical training and support research initiatives, contributing to the long-term development of Fiji’s healthcare workforce.
For Fiji Airways, the initiative reflects a community role that goes beyond moving passengers between destinations. In this context, flight support becomes part of the healthcare system, helping connect islands, hospitals, outreach teams and families.
For Cure Kids Fiji, the partnership helps turn national health programmes into practical action across difficult geography. It supports the movement of people, skills and equipment into places where access can otherwise be limited.
Looking ahead, Fiji Airways and Cure Kids Fiji plan to continue supporting rheumatic heart disease screening, specialist workforce training, Strep A vaccine research and wider efforts to strengthen healthcare systems for children across Fiji.
The partnership shows how aviation can matter far beyond tourism and business travel. In Fiji’s island setting, a flight can carry more than passengers. It can carry medical expertise, earlier diagnosis, better training and the chance for a child to receive care closer to home.
