Dear Sweety and Mr. Parma Nand,

So it was ​​20th July 2021 ​Nitesh got admitted for his​ CABG procedure at Mercy Ascot Hospital​ in NZ.

After so much contemplation we ruled out India for treatment, however if I reflect back in April we​did not know where to start. We are truly grateful for The ​Auckland Heart Group team for forwarding Nitesh’s details with my query directly to you.

What really surprised me that day was within an hour of the email I had you calling me personally. You thoroughly explained everything. I remember I had so many questions but you were so calm and took your time to understand the situation ​and give me assurance that he will be in good hands. You advised me to call you anytime, gave me full background of Mr Parma Nand and how he does volunteer heart surgeries in Fiji however has not travelled due to COVID.​

Sweety, you are very sweet (just like your name) and I am absolutely blown away by your professionalism. I was so touched by the way you handled everything. I have said this to you before, you have fantastic Customer Service and People skills, and you genuinely demonstrate care, affection and empathy. Loved your transparency with every process with your good sense of humor too. Appreciate you that all the facts with charges were clearly outlined and you were constantly engaging with Dr Parma to keep us and him updated.

After my first conversation with you were on a roll, appreciated your detailed email with clear instructions and everything just moved too quickly, from getting approval from the Ministry of Health to approval for Travel Request as the border was locked down in Fiji to applying for a Medical Visa. Like we discussed, maybe the universe was supporting at every step and Nitesh was destined to go through this in his life under Dr Parma Nand and your care!

We are grateful that Dr Parma offered for free GP care post Nitesh’s surgery; he obviously noticed that the surgery was funded privately – this melted my heart!

The most challenging part was getting the Medical Visa. The immigration process under humanitarian grounds during the lockdown was so unclear but we kept trying ​and did not give up! Getting a room at MIQ was again a challenge; the Customer Service was more like – no care attitude.​ Eventually, we got there.​ I am just gratefully that we did not give up.

​All in all, it took us 1.5 months to get through all these challenges and finally Nitesh arrived in the county alone and braved up to go through the procedure by himself​, leaving his wife and son back home.​

After staying at the MIQ facility for 14 days​, he had ​a ​pre catch up with Dr Parmar Nand who very clearly explained the heart problem, advised us of procedure and recovery post surgery process.​ Everything was so clear that we did not have any questions for him in the end.

N​itesh ​went into surgery on Tuesday 21st June at 7am in the morning and at 11 am I received the call from Dr Parma Nand himself as agreed. He told me, surgery is successful but the ​next​ 6-8 hours is very critical because Nitesh’s body needs to come back to normal.

At 5pm that afternoon as I walked into the ICU ​Nitesh gained consciousness.  The first question I asked him was “you remember me”​? he ​greeted me with a nod by then he was breathing without machine support. ​I recall around 7pm Dr Parma Nand visiting all 3 patients in ICU that he performed surgery on that day, he walked in with the biggest smile on his face, presented so professionally and I just could not stop admiring his humble nature. There was this pride on his face with no sign of ego, just a pleasant smile. I was so blown away with his kindness, dedication, commitment and professionalism. There is no doubt he started his day before 7am that morning and for him to visit all his patients at that hour was just remarkable! I salute him for his AMAZING and INSPRIATIONAL work on giving people a chance to live, he is giving life to people – just magical! Thanks to all the team from Mercy Ascot who stand with him throughout the surgeries to make everything a success day by day.

Next morning Nitesh was moved out of the ICU around 9.30am. When I walked back into the hospital around 5pm he was walking back to his ward with the help of a nurse, this is just in 24hrs…again this was very surprising for me! The impression was – this team doesn’t muck around, they mean business because it’s a question of someone’s life.

Nitesh stayed in the hospital for 7 days however the progress each day with walks and movements was just amazing to be part of. I personally never expected such a speedy recovery and back to normal life plan ​from having such a major surgery. All the nurses and staff from the day Nitesh got admitted were very professional, sticking to their routine and pace at all times. Some were good at building rapport but others mostly remained professional to take care of Nitesh. No issues with food, the room was a little uncomfortable with all the construction work, dust and temperature controls but he survived!

Today Nitesh completes his 3 months after surgery, such a great milestone and tough journey. He never dreamt of going through this in such short time. All his wounds have healed beautifully and he is looking fit and healthy. The little bit of infection he had on his legs have also healed, his health has improved so much that he can actually jog and walk up to 10km whereas before he was not able to even walk up to 3km. This is a life-changing miracle.

Personally, I didn’t realize the huge responsibility I took to help Nitesh until he was being wheeled into the surgery, my heart sank that day. I remained positive as it was too late to go downhill with my emotions. I hope that things actually get better for his heart​and health-wise from here on​- new beginnings.​

A MASSIVE thank you goes to Dr Parma Nand and you, thank you for all your support to date. Nothing would have been possible without your genuine care. You both are truly an inspiration and living with core values of a human in today’s world. I have learnt so much from you both through this journey and I hope you realize the level of inspiration you create in the community.

Thanks to Auckland Cardiothoracic Team for such a quick response, the team at Mercy Ascot – Nurses, Doctors and Nurse aids. We will forever be grateful for the genuine care and support received for Nitesh’s life changing experience.

I will personally never hesitate to recommend Dr Parma Nand and Mercy Ascot team for such medical treatment to anyone that crosses my path for such need. Over Summary

• Overall satisfaction = 100%
• Information before surgery = 100%
• Care & attention = 100%
• Follow up care = 100%

Kind regards
Rittu G