Update: 5:08PM THE Consumer Council of Fiji has welcomed the establishment of the Fiji Accident Compensation Commission (FACC), which it said was long overdue.
Council CEO Premila Kumar said the Council had been vigorously lobbying for reforms in the laws and systems as far as Compulsory Third Party Insurance was concerned.
“Now with the enactment of Accident Compensation Act and the establishment of the FACC, victims can actually seek compensation by lodging their own claims with the FACC,? Mrs Kumar said following the announcement of the 2017-2018 budget last night.
“They do not have to pay for legal fees, which has always remained an expensive affair for the vulnerable victims.
“What is more interesting is that the Commission will have a no-fault compensation scheme for all the motor vehicle accidents. This new no-fault scheme will be seen to replace the current third party insurance scheme.”
She said the amount that a third party victim was allowed to receive under the current legislation governing third party insurance was a challenge in itself.
“Under the current system, the third party victim can institute legal proceedings to get a fair claim if the claim is rejected or the amount is negligible by the insurance companies. Often the accident victims (or the deceased’s family) are left wondering if justice is indeed served under the current system, policies and laws.”
