RRT Helps Bring Life-Changing Surgery to Tonga with $120,000 Donation to Upgrade Operating Theatres at Vaiola Hospital and Support Joint Replacement Surgery

The Rapid Relief Team (RRT) has made a major contribution to healthcare in the South Pacific, providing NZ$120,000 in financial support to Vaiola hospital, Tonga. This donation has helped to fund the upgrade of three operating theatres. In addition, the donation will support a visiting Orthopaedic Surgical team to undertake six to eight hip and knee joint replacements later this year at Vaiola hospital.

This investment marks a crucial step toward improved access to life-changing surgeries for the Tongan community by providing state of the art operating theatres. This allows for advanced invasive surgical procedures otherwise not available with the state of the previous operating theatres at Vaiola hospital.

Historically, many Tongans in need of joint replacement surgery have faced insurmountable costs, initially to travel to New Zealand or Australia and then have surgery at a cost of NZ$35,000 per case, excluding other related costs. This upgrade changes that reality. With RRT’s support, the hospital’s operating theatres have undergone significant modernization, laying the groundwork for local access to these critical procedures with the risk of infection being significantly reduced.

As of May 19, 2025, the newly upgraded theatres are fully operational, and have already been used by a visiting Australian surgical team to successfully perform urology procedures just last week.

This marks the completion of Stage 1 of the project.

Looking ahead, Stage 2 — a pilot program enabling six initial joint arthroplasty operations — is scheduled for November 2025. This will be a groundbreaking moment for Tonga, as it brings the reality of local joint replacement surgery closer than ever before.

This initiative is more than an infrastructure project — it’s a transformational investment in the health and wellbeing of the Tongan people. RRT is honoured to partner with local and international medical professionals to help bring long-term benefits to the region.

We look forward to supporting the success of the pilot program later this year, and to the many lives that will be changed as a result.