Our Stories
ENT Pacifika Program
A region in urgent need
Across the Pacific Islands, ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) conditions are among the leading causes of preventable disability and death — yet most nations have fewer ENT doctors than a single Australian regional hospital. In places like Papua New Guinea and Fiji, there is often just one ENT surgeon per one million people, far below the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of one per 100,000.
For many families, this means chronic ear infections go untreated, children grow up with irreversible hearing loss, and life-threatening airway emergencies have nowhere to turn.
This was the reality that first moved Professor Suren Krishnan and a team of South Australian specialists to act. What began as isolated volunteer trips evolved into a long-term commitment to build a sustainable ENT workforce from within the Pacific itself.
A new way forward
The Dreamin Foundation helped establish the ENT Pacifika postgraduate diploma, a 40-week, two-semester training program delivered through the Fiji National University.
Collaboration with Dr. Oh Chung Yeong, a surgeon from South Korea who has serviced the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in the Fiji National University for a period of 10 years. Dr. Oh was responsible for the design, construct and ratification of the program through the senate of the Fiji National University. The curriculum was built in conjunction, with long term contributors to ENT, H&N in the Pacific (Drs Murali Mahadevan & Suren Krishnan).
The curriculum is modelled on the UK’s DOHNS qualification — but instead of trainees needing £15,000 in fees and months living abroad, the entire course is delivered locally, eliminating the financial and cultural barriers that once made specialist training impossible.
What makes the program exceptional is the calibre of educators.
More than 25 high-level ENT specialists — presidents of Australian and New Zealand ENT societies, internationally recognised surgeons, and senior university clinicians — travel to Fiji at their own expense. They pay their own airfares, accommodation and meals, and volunteer a full week of teaching each.
During these intensive weeks, trainees participate in ward rounds, clinics, simulations, supervised procedures and one-on-one tuition rarely available in low-resource settings.
The remaining lectures are delivered by a core team of specialists supported by The Dreamin Foundation, who also volunteer their time. Not a single educator receives a fee. For the trainees, this access to world-class mentors is life-changing.
Tools that save lives
ENT is a highly equipment-dependent specialty. Even basic examinations require tools that Pacific hospitals cannot afford. To ensure graduates can work effectively, The Dreamin Foundation funds essential equipment including:
- operating microscopes
- endoscopes and camera systems
- diagnostic tools for hearing loss
- newborn hearing screening devices
- instrument sets and lighting systems
- transport and maintenance of equipment across islands
This support equips graduates to diagnose and treat safely, and to respond to emergencies without the need to transfer patients overseas.
Collaboration in action
The true power of ENT Pacifika lies in the network it has created. Graduates and mentors remain connected via weekly case discussions and real-time WhatsApp consultations. The result of this is an invested group of specialists, that band together for the greater good of their patients.
A perfect example of this, was when the doctors received a call for help from Tonga, after a young boy aspirated a biro tip. The network that mobilised instantly and within hours, Dr Joe Pei, a program graduate, flew from Fiji to Tonga, performed a delicate bronchoscopy, and saved the child’s life. Only a few years earlier, such an intervention would have been impossible.
A growing legacy
To date, six doctors have graduated from the program across Fiji, Samoa, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands — including Dr Fani Lord, the first female surgical consultant and the first ENT surgeon ever appointed in the Pacific.
Their impact is already reshaping the region’s healthcare landscape. Each graduate becomes the “first” in their nation. The first to perform advanced procedures, the first to train junior colleagues, the first to treat children who previously had no path to care.
The ripple effect is immeasurable.
- Less reliance on foreign teams.
- More children treated early.
- More communities with sustainable, local health solutions.
A future built on compassion and collaboration
ENT Pacifika is now one of the The Dreamin Foundation’s most important long-term commitments. By funding equipment, training resources, and ongoing mentorship, The Dreamin Foundation is helping build a permanent ENT workforce for the Pacific, that will outlast any single volunteer, trip or donation.
A PROPOSAL
Phase 1 – Fiji National University Postgraduate Diploma in ENT, Head and Neck Surgery
Phase 2 – Fiji National University Postgraduate Masters in ENT, Head and Neck Surgery
Phase 3 – Pacific Island nations END, Head and Neck Neckwork
Phase 4 – Ear, Nose and Throat Hospitals in each major city of each pacific island nation