Bula
We focus on our health system in The Fiji Times edition for Monday, August 4.
But there is so much to read inside as well.
US TARIFFS: FIJI has successfully negotiated a significant reduction in US tariffs on its exports. Effective August 8, Fijian-origin exports will be reduced from 32 per cent to 15 per cent. That’s on Page 2.
ABANDONED INFANT: WHAT was done to the abandoned infant in Lautoka was, without a doubt, a crime, says Minister for Women and Children Sashi Kiran. That’s on page 2.
RAKIRAKI SUGAR MILL: MULTI-ETHNIC Affairs and Sugar Minister Charan Jeath Singh has described the previous government’s unnecessary dismantling and sale of the Penang sugar mill for $300,000 as outright daylight robbery, emphasising the significance of the new Rakiraki sugar mill. That’s on Page 3.
SUVA CITY WASTE: THE Suva City Council (SCC) is spending more than $3million annually on waste collection services but recovering just a fraction of that cost, according to newly released figures under its 2025–2026 Solid Waste Management (SWM) review. That’s in the Indepth section on page 5.
VOLCANO ERUPTION: The overnight eruption of the Krasheninnikov Volcano in Kamchatka, its first in 600 years, may be connected to the huge earthquake that rocked Russia’s Far East last week, Russia’s RIA state news agency and scientists reported. That’s on Page 23.
SYNOPSIS
Fixing our health system!
It is good to know that Government is committed to improving and enhancing health care services in the country.
Responding to a letter to the editor from Joeli Tuiveikau II of Sabeto, Nadi, urging the Government to address the neglected health infrastructure in Nadi and Sigatoka, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka confirmed that the Government, through the Ministry of Health and Medical Services and the Ministry of Finance, had been working collaboratively with stakeholders and partners to identify opportunities to strengthen existing health facilities.
In saying that, across Fiji, health facilities are buckling under pressure. From Suva to Sigatoka, outdated infrastructure and aging equipment have become all too common.
We say, while the Government’s renewed commitment to upgrading health services is welcome, the scale and urgency of the situation demand focused, well-managed action.
There also has to be a sense of urgency!
The state of some of our hospitals is unacceptable. Crumbling walls, questionable sanitation, and overstretched staff have become the norm in some areas.
These are not just local concerns; they are national priorities.
As Mr Rabuka rightly pointed out in response to the letter to the editor, these towns are not only residential and commercial centres, but they are also gateways to our largest foreign exchange earner: the tourism industry.
Our health infrastructure must reflect the needs of both citizens and visitors. But achieving this will not be easy, and it cannot be done overnight.
It requires meticulous planning, careful resource management, and sustained investment.
It is good to know the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, alongside the Ministry of Finance, is now working closely with partners to strengthen existing facilities while assessing the feasibility of modern, purpose-built hospitals.
We say this dual approach, of maintaining and upgrading what we have while preparing for long-term transformation, is a sound one, but its success depends on execution.
Nowhere is the challenge more apparent than at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva. As the country’s largest referral hospital, it is always operating at full capacity. Every ward is filled, day in and day out. Shutting it down for renovation is not an option. Where would the patients go?
This is why the transition period is critical. Any development of this scale must include strategies for decanting services, creating temporary care centres or increasing capacity at other hospitals, while major works are underway.
We agree the $18 million redevelopment project at CWM, funded by the Australian Government, is a positive step, and the recently completed Clinical Services Plan and Infrastructure Priority Implementation Plan offer a roadmap for what is to come.
Meanwhile, the Government’s allocation of $11.9 million over the past three years for maintenance and repairs of all health facilities is great.
Ultimately, the challenge before us is one of balance, between urgency and care, short-term fixes and long-term planning. We say upgrading our health facilities will not be easy. It will require compromise, patience, and at times, disruption. But the cost of inaction is far greater.
Every day we delay is another day patients wait in overcrowded wards, doctors work without adequate tools, and families suffer the consequences of a broken system.
There must be some urgency pushed into reestablishing our health system.
