Joint replacement surgery in Fiji is no longer a procedure aimed mainly at the elderly, according to Pacific Specialist Healthcare orthopaedic specialist and consultant Dr Vaigalo Eddie McCaig, who says younger Fijians are increasingly needing new hips and knees. His comments were reported by Fijivillage on 25 September 2026, the Fiji Sun on 26 September and Islands Business on 27 September.
Dr McCaig said obesity, sports injuries, road accidents and earlier joint damage are among the main reasons for hip and knee replacement, and that joint problems can affect people across all age groups. Pacific Specialist Healthcare (PSH) is a private healthcare provider that runs hospitals in Fiji.
Key facts
- Dr McCaig described osteoarthritis as the loss of the cartilage that protects a joint, according to Fijivillage.
- He said carrying excess weight over many years places additional stress on weight-bearing joints such as the hips and knees.
- He named sports trauma, road crashes, infections, diabetes and HIV as major considerations in orthopaedic care.
- He said an X-ray alone should never decide whether a patient needs a joint replaced.
- PSH is considering introducing joint replacement surgery at its hospitals in future, which the reports say would reduce the need for patients to travel overseas.
Why it matters
All three Fiji reports say the issue is particularly relevant to Fiji and the wider Pacific, where changing lifestyles and increasing body weight are contributing to orthopaedic problems. The Fiji Sun framed the same point in its subheading as weight, sports injuries and road trauma driving orthopaedic concerns.
The second consequence is where treatment happens. As reported, patients needing this surgery have been travelling overseas for it, and PSH is weighing whether to offer the operation, and the follow-up care that goes with it, at home. For a country that has been adding mobility and access equipment in other parts of the service economy, the loss of mobility Dr McCaig describes is the outcome the surgery is meant to address.
Two cases
Dr McCaig said he recently treated a woman in her early 50s who had suffered injuries in a 2018 car crash. She had already undergone a partial hip replacement, is now having problems again, and may require a total hip replacement, according to Islands Business.
In a second case, he described a 28-year-old rugby player who dislocated his hip and had surgery in New Zealand. The hip dislocated again and stayed out of position for about a year, eventually resulting in severe arthritis. The three reports differ only in wording here: Islands Business refers to the player’s hips, while the Fiji Sun and Fijivillage refer to a single hip.
Sports trauma is one of the categories Dr McCaig singled out, in a country whose representative teams play at international level — among them the Fijiana XV side that won the WXV Global Series Challenger title. The reports do not give any figures for how many sports injuries lead to joint replacement in Fiji.
“It’s based on your quality of life”
Dr McCaig was emphatic that imaging is not the deciding factor. “The indication for an operation is not based on X-rays. It’s based on your quality of life,” he told the Fiji Sun. Fijivillage reported the same position in different words: an X-ray can show the extent of the damage, but the pain, reduced mobility and impact on a person’s life should guide the decision.
He also said the operation is only one part of successful treatment. “It’s about the follow-up, it’s about preventing complications, and if there is a complication, you have to deal with that complication,” he said, as quoted by the Fiji Sun.
Other conditions in the picture
Among the conditions Dr McCaig listed as major considerations were infections, diabetes and HIV. He said the complication risk rises significantly for patients with diabetes or HIV. That places orthopaedic surgery alongside the other services under pressure from Fiji’s HIV outbreak. The reports give no patient numbers for either condition.
How the surgery is described elsewhere
Writing for the Los Angeles Daily News in August, Dr Andrew J. Wassef, medical director of the MemorialCare Joint Replacement Center at Long Beach Medical Center in California, said today’s procedures often use robotic-assisted technology that lets surgeons customise the operation to a patient’s anatomy. He described that as giving surgeons advanced tools for precision and safety, not replacing the surgeon. The Fiji reports do not say what technology PSH would use.
Dr McCaig’s summary, as reported in all three Fiji outlets, was that a damaged joint may show up on an X-ray, but it is the patient’s pain and loss of quality of life that ultimately matter. In his words to Islands Business: “It’s not just the elderly person with osteoarthritis. It can affect anyone.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens inside a joint once the protective cartilage wears away?
According to Fijivillage and the Fiji Sun, cartilage is what allows the bones to move smoothly against each other. Once it wears away, the bones begin rubbing against one another, which Dr McCaig says causes pain, stiffness and reduced mobility.
Why do diabetes and HIV matter in orthopaedic surgery?
Dr McCaig told Islands Business and Fijivillage that for patients with diabetes or HIV, the risk of complications can increase significantly. That includes problems with wound healing after surgery.
Can Fijians get joint replacement surgery at PSH now?
No. All three Fiji reports say PSH is looking at introducing joint replacement surgery at its hospitals in the future, and none of them gives a date, a cost or a location. Dr McCaig said doing the surgery locally would give patients a treatment and follow-up option instead of travelling overseas.
How quickly do joint replacement patients start moving again?
The Fiji sources do not say. Writing in the Los Angeles Daily News, Dr Andrew J. Wassef of the MemorialCare Joint Replacement Center in Long Beach, California, said patients routinely begin moving the same day of surgery, that physical therapy is essential, and that many older patients return to normal activities within a few months.
