Foundations/Trusts

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Sai Prema Foundation

Foundations/Trusts

Sai Prema Foundation

Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Medical Centre, Fiji

CORE TEAM

Mahendra Tappoo-min

Mahendra Tappoo

Founding Trustee and Chairman of Sai Prema Foundation

Executive Director and Member of Board of Directors of Tappoo Group of Companies (a Multi-faceted Business Group in Fiji)

Maya Tappoo-min

Maya Tappoo

Founding Trustee of Sai Prema Foundation

Former Radio Presenter for a Hindi Radio station in Fiji

Sumeet Tappoo-min

Sumeet Tappoo

Foundation Director of Sai Prema Foundation and Chairman of the International Advisory Board

Professional Singer and International Concert Performer

Krupali Tappoo-min

Dr Krupali Tappoo

Director of Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Medical Centre Fiji, Medical Coordinator and Member of Executive Committee of Sai Prema Foundation

General Practitioner, Tappoo City Medical Centre

Remal Tappoo-min

Remal Tappoo

Secretary and Member of Executive Committee of Sai Prema Foundation

Executive Director of Tappoo Group of Companies

Kamlesh Tappoo-min

Kamlesh Tappoo

Trustee of Sai Prema Foundation

Executive Director and Member of Board of Directors of Tappoo Group of Companies

Rajendra Kumar-min

Rajendra Kumar

Trustee of Sai Prema Foundation

Board Member of Frank Hilton Organisation Fiji and Treasurer of ABC Foundation Fiji

Pratin Lal-min

Pratin Lal

Treasurer and Head of Executive Committee of Sai Prema Foundation

Senior Finance Professional at Tappoo Group of Companies

Awards received by the Sai Prema Foundation Fiji

  • Sai Prema Foundation was bestowed with the PRAVASI BHARATIYA SAMMAN 2021 award by the President of India in recognition of Sai Prema Foundation’s outstanding service to the people of Fiji
  • The Chairman of the Sai Prema Foundation, Mr Mahendra Tappoo, was awarded with the ‘Member of the Order of Fiji’ by the President of Fiji for his outstanding contribution to the nation through his philanthropic efforts and as Chairman of Sai Prema Foundation Fiji
  • The Director of the Sai Prema Foundation, Mr Sumeet Tappoo, was awarded with the Presidential Medal by the President of Fiji for his contribution to Fiji through his music and philanthropy

Fiji

Sai Prema Centre for Human Development Fiji-min

Sai Prema Centre for Human Development, Fiji

Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Heart Screening Centre-min

Honourable Prime Minister of Fiji, Mr Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Heart Screening Centre

AG

Sai Prema Foundation Launch by
Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Hon. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum

EDUCARE:

  • Sai Prema Ashram — Centre for Love and Peace and Centre for Human Development was inaugurated in April 2019
  • Dr Maryanne Kora’ai was successfully trained in a specialist area of paediatric cardiology at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital Centre for Child Heart Care, Nava Raipur, Chhattisgarh
  • Sai Prema Foundation embarked upon a multitude of programmes to rural communities which included educating the rural folks about right nutrition, oral health and dental hygiene, sanitary care, basic hygiene care and education in human values
  • Sai Prema Foundation embarked upon an online education campaign to create greater awareness among the population about safe practices to protect the environment. This included saving water, recycling rubbish, conserving electricity and avoiding usage of plastic bags

MEDICARE:

  • Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Medical Centre — A free medical clinic and pharmacy located at Suva was inaugurated in April 2018
  • Health on Wheels is a Free Medical Outreach Programme catering to the health and well-being of Fiji’s rural population, providing a wide range of quality medical and dental services. The Divine Mother and Child Program catering to the needs of pregnant mothers and little children is also an integral part of this initiative
  • Gift of Life refers to Paediatric Cardiac Services (Open heart surgeries, catheterisation lab procedures, and other cardiac interventions) that are provided completely free of cost
  • Medical Scholarship Programme provides free scholarships to train Fijian doctors in the field of Paediatric Cardiology
  • Be a Hero — This is a Blood collection drive which has won Sai Prema Foundation, the awards for Highest Blood Collection in the Central Region and Second Highest Blood Collection in the Western Region in 2017 and 2018
  • Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), a subsidiary organisation of the United Nations, whereby relevant UNDP Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are identified in accordance with Sai Prema Foundation’s projects and initiatives. The aim is to expand the effectiveness in bringing about a solution with a prescribed end goal, through both community awareness and outreach programmes in rural, peri-urban and urban areas of Fiji
  • Partnership with Fiji National University (FNU) through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). This collaboration with FNU entails the joint development of Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Dental Centre which will provide free dental services to underprivileged and needy children from rural backgrounds. In addition, both Sai Prema Foundation Fiji & FNU have collaborated to foster co-operation, understanding, strategic alliance and partnership with an aim of serving people by providing healthcare to staff and students of the University, organise blood donation drives, promote volunteerism and embark upon a human values programme
  • Partnership with the University of the South Pacific (USP) through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). This collaboration with USP is to foster co-operation, understanding, strategic alliance and partnership with an aim of serving people by providing healthcare to staff and students of the University, organise blood donation drives, promote volunteerism and embark upon a human values programme
  • A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed with the Fiji Red Cross Society with the aim to collaborate and conduct awareness programmes for symptoms of Congenital Heart Diseases, the need for blood donation, facilitate screening/treatment of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) as well as Communicable Diseases(CDs), execution of medical camps at rural villages in Fiji, as well as the provision of volunteer support by the Red Cross Society Fiji towards the projects and initiatives of Sai Prema Foundation
  • Collaboration between Sai Prema Foundation and the Embassy of Japan – Provision of a specialist Ambulance by the Embassy to the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Heart Hospital, Fiji
  • Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed with the Consumer Council of Fiji, a Government Statutory Body, whereby both the organisations will jointly work towards creating greater awareness of the prevalence and symptoms of congenital heart disease (CHD) as well as educate the people about the availability of free services the Foundation’s Medical Centre, Heart Screening Centre and Children’s Heart Hospital
  • Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed with Digicel Fiji, with a goal of serving the children of Fiji, by jointly working towards creating greater awareness of the prevalence and symptoms of congenital heart disease (CHD), educate people about the availability of free cardiac services through the centres. To create blood drive awareness and to educate the population about the need to donate blood by the means of text messages broadcasted by the mobile phone network
  • Initiated a new project ‘We Care for You!’ to promote good health and well-being of the Fiji Police Force, Republic of Fiji Military Forces, National Fire Authority, Fiji Navy and Fiji Corrections Service. This initiative was a way of showing gratitude towards the frontline workers and their families, by providing free general medical consultations and medications at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Medical Centre; free dental procedures at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Dental Centre; free children’s heart screening at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Heart Screening Centre; creating greater awareness of the prevalence and symptoms of congenital heart disease (CHD) among all families of these frontline workers; and free heart surgery for children between 0-16 years at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Heart Hospital, Fiji
  • Sai Prema Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services Fiji, the Royal Fiji Military Forces and the Fiji Police Force organised COVID vaccination drives in response to the second wave with the delta variant of the virus
  • Sai Prema Foundation Fiji and the New Zealand High Commission teamed up to pay gratitude to the frontline COVID-19 warriors both medical and non-medical personnel, who have been serving across various quarantine, containment, health, vaccination, and other facilities around the nation were gifted with ‘Gratitude packs’
  • Patients are treated absolutely free of cost at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Medical Centre
  • The poor population of rural Fiji are given free general and specialist medical consultations and free medication through the Health on Wheels rural outreach medical project
  • Children are given free heart screening at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Heart Screening Centre and also by personally travelling to the remote interior rural pockets of Fiji
  • Sai Prema Foundation along with Dr Georgina Brunton – Clinical Psychiatrist from Australia, who conducted mental health consultations and workshops at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Medical Centre and in rural Fiji
  • The Foundation has commenced construction of South Pacific’s, first super-speciality paediatric cardiac hospital in Suva, where all surgeries and treatments will be rendered, completely free of cost
  • Sai Prema Foundation Fiji celebrates ‘Pinktober’ with a high-profile event to create awareness about breast cancer
  • Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital – the only paediatric cardiac hospital in the entire South Pacific region completely dedicated to addressing Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) was inaugurated on 27 April 2022. So far, the 54 bedded hospital has saved 154 children using invasive as well as non-invasive procedures

SOCIOCARE:

  • Sai Annapoorna – Serve meals to underprivileged and needy families, elder care, special care and orphanages
  • Children of God is a project to look after the needs of orphaned children
  • One Fiji – An opportunity for all Fijians to unite together, serve and help make a difference in the lives of the underprivileged of Fiji
  • Sai Prema Foundation collaborated with the Fiji National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) to embark upon various disaster relief operations after the destructive cyclones which ravaged many parts of Fiji.
  • Sai Prema Foundation collaborated with United Nations to serve the furthest region in Fiji, the Lau group of islands. Residents of these villages were provided with ration kits and basic necessities after the destructive cyclones in Fiji
  • Sai Prema Foundation partnered with the New Zealand High Commission and the New Zealand Government’s Foreign Affairs Aid programme to serve the thousands of underprivileged and needy families across Fiji with:
    • Ration packs containing food and groceries to the families which are unemployed due to the devastating impact of COVID on Fiji
    • Healthy breakfast programme to the children in rural Fiji, as well as underprivileged families living in poverty
    • Agricultural seeds to help families grow fruits and vegetables as a source of permanent food supply for their families, as well as encouraging them to slowly transform from backyard gardening to agricultural business in order to get a sustainable form of income
    • Sanitary items to women in rural Fiji, who are unable to afford effective sanitary care
    • Standard and disability-friendly handwashing stations in rural areas of Fiji to encourage greater hygiene, especially among young children
  • Sai Prema Foundation collaborated with Asco Foundation Fiji and United Sports Club New Zealand to serve underprivileged and needy families with food packs
  • Sai Prema Foundation also partnered with Pleass Global Ltd to provide water to frontline workers based at the Ministry of Health’s COVID relief facilities
  • Sai Prema Foundation and A1 Safety & Packaging New Zealand to distribute $60,000 worth of hand sanitisers and hand wipes to the vaccination teams across Fiji
  • Sai Prema Foundation and European Union collaborated to distribute COVID protection face masks to communities across Fiji
  • Sai Prema Foundation regularly serve individuals, who are residents of institutions such as orphanages, visual impairment, hearing impairment, mental and physical disabilities, etc. with necessary food provisions as well as quality healthcare
  • Sai Prema Foundation in collaboration with Life Flight Fiji, Digicel Tonga, Punjas Fiji and YachtAid Global helped the people of Tonga, where a devastating volcanic eruption disrupted the lives of people
  • United Nations Association of Fiji (UNAF) and Sai Prema Foundation Fiji (SPF) have formalised a collaborative partnership agreement through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU to achieve the vision, goals and objectives that UNAF and SPF have in common as well as to develop greater co-operation, understanding, strategic alliance and partnership with the goal of serving and making a difference to the underprivileged and needy people of Fiji through a number of projects and initiative.

SOUTH PACIFIC’S FIRST SUPER-SPECIALITY PAEDIATRIC CARDIAC HOSPITAL – SRI SATHYA SAI SANJEEVANI CHILDREN’S HEART HOSPITAL WAS INAUGURATED AT SUVA, FIJI BY THE HONOURABLE PRIME MINISTER OF FIJI, MR JOSAIA VOREQE BAINIMARAMA, IN THE PRESENCE OF SADGURU SRI MADHUSUDAN SAI

April 27, 2022 – Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Heart Hospital, Suva, Fiji – Transcending All Barriers of Affordability, Accessibility and Availability – A World-Class Completely Free of Cost Compassionate Heart Care Facility for the Children of Fiji

Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Chain of Child Heart Care Hospitals has chosen to expand its footprint to the most-needy populations of the planet, and thus has worked hard to inaugurate the first-of-its-kind children’s heart hospital in Fiji. Under the leadership of Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai, the Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals have gained experience for a decade in the field of providing expert completely free of cost child heart care to thousands of children in India. With the confidence on its capability, and with the value of compassion at its very core, the healthcare mission in Fiji started with the establishment of a Non-Governmental Charitable Organisation – Sai Prema Foundation in August 2016. A three-phased plan, commencing with the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Medical Care Centre in April 2018, followed by Sri Sathya Sai Children’s Heart Screening Centre in April 2019, and now the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Heart Hospital, this mission has grown steadily with the determination to do more-good.

The Hospital is a state-of-the-art 54-bedded facility spread across 21,000 sq.ft. At the centre of the Hospital is a giant red heart which perfectly describes all that the Hospital stands for—it is all about the heart, both physically and metaphorically. This is the largest project ever undertaken by a Non-Government Organisation (NGO) in Fiji’s history. The Hospital will fill the void of absolutely no access to paediatric cardiac service in the Pacific belt, and will save the families needing to take their children overseas for paediatric heart care, which costs in excess of FJD$100,000.

The dignitaries present at the event were – Mr Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama – Honourable Prime Minister of Fiji; Mrs Maria Voreqe Bainimarama – the PM’s wife; Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai – Social and Spiritual Leader; Mr Robert Bozzani – Philanthropist from South California who has supported many noble initiatives of Baba for several decades; Dr Shaun P Setty – Paediatric and Adult Cardiac Surgeon, who is also the Larry and Helen Hoag Foundation Endowed Chair in Paediatric Cardiovascular Surgery at Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach, Southern California; Mr Mahendra Tappoo – Chairman and Founding Trustee of Sai Prema Foundation; Mr Sumeet Tappoo – Director of Sai Prema Foundation and Mr C Sreenivas – Chairman of Sri Sathya Sai Health and Education Trust. Dr Arvind Thiagarajan – CEO of HD Medical and Inventor of HD Steth; Mr Tony Greubel – US Chargé d’Affaires for the US Embassy of Fiji, and many other dignitaries from over 12 countries attended the event.

Mr Ajay Jain Bhutoria – Commissioner to US President Joe Biden’s Advisory Commission for the Federal Government of the United States of America came to the event to bestow Sai Prema Foundation with an award from the California State Legislative Assembly, for its remarkable service in saving the lives of the children of Fiji. During the occasion, South Pacific Community and Sai Prema Foundation shared a joint collaboration for combined efforts on capacity building and research.

The Honourable Prime Minister of India, Mr Narendra Modi joined the inauguration of the Hospital virtually.

Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children's Heart Hospital, Suva, Fiji

Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Heart Hospital, Suva, Fiji

Inauguration of the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children's Heart Hospital by the Honourable Prime Minister of Fiji, Mr Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama

Inauguration of the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Heart Hospital by the Honourable Prime Minister of Fiji, Mr Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama

Unveiling the Plaque

Unveiling the Plaque

The dignitaries present at the event

The dignitaries present at the event

Inaugural Message by Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi

Inaugural Message by Honourable Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi

Felicitation of Honourable Prime Minister of Fiji

Felicitation of Honourable Prime Minister of Fiji

Group Picture – Prime Minister of Fiji with Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai and members of the Sai Prema Foundation, Fiji

Group Picture – Prime Minister of Fiji with Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai and members of the Sai Prema Foundation, Fiji

Fiji PM-min

Hon. Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama
Prime Minister of Fiji

“You are invaluable partners to my government, and the tremendous impact you have had on the lives of young Fijians, in particular, cannot be fully captured in words. The achievement of the Sai Prema Foundation is not only limited to the medical centre. Your charitable work throughout the country has already touched the lives of thousands of our people.”

Rosy-min

Hon. Rosy Sofia Akbar
Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Former Minister for Health and Medical Services of Fiji

“The Sai Prema Foundation generously facilitated the team from the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital in Naya Raipur, India to perform pediatric cardiac surgeries for children in Fiji, completely Free of Cost. This has helped the Fijian families save millions of dollars. The lives of these children and their families have changed for the better. For these children to be given the surgical treatment that they were in desperate need of, and to help them live productive and fulfilling lives is truly awe-inspiring. It is humbling to know that there are so many individuals who have offered their time and skills for saving numerous lives, and providing the gift of life to children.”

Aiyaz-min

Hon. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum
Attorney-General and Minister for Economy of Fiji

“I would like to acknowledge Sai Prema Foundation for undertaking this initiative and bringing Dr Ashish Katewa (Medical Director, Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals) and his team to Fiji. They have looked at the bigger picture by not just providing medical services but also investing in the knowledge base of our Doctors. The children who have been operated, have been given a new lease of life and their families have been blessed with a renewed sense of hope. This is very important for us and is very much appreciated.”