The Government pays Aspen Medical Fiji or Health Care (Fiji) Pte Ltd (HCF) for every patient treated, says Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Professor Biman Prasad.
He also clarified that the increase in budget funding for Aspen Medical Fiji was not intended as a fixed contract payment.
While responding to the Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry’s queries as to why Aspen was made “richer by $27million”, Prof Prasad said Aspen Medical Fiji was not an overseas company.
“Its full name is Health Care (Fiji) Pte Ltd, or HCF,” Prof Prasad said.
“HCF is owned 80 percent by the Fiji National Provident Fund and 20 percent by Aspen Medical of Australia.
“HCF manages Ba and Lautoka hospitals for the Government. HCF trades under the business name ‘Aspen Medical Fiji’.”
He said health services at those hospitals were free for patients, like all Fiji public hospitals.
“It is an estimate of how much the Government will pay HCF in the coming fiscal year for treating the patients at those hospitals.
“If there are more patients, the Government pays more. If there are fewer patients, the Government pays less.”
He said in the year ended July 31, 2023, Ba and Lautoka performed around 930,000 patient treatments, and in the year ended July 31, 2025, this number was around 950,000 patient episodes.
“The complexity of the treatment mix has changed as cardiac and other services are now being offered, which have a higher charge per treatment. So, the Government does not pay HCF a fixed contract sum. The Government pays HCF for every patient treated and the complexity of the case. The way HCF charges the Government has not changed. It has always been the same.”
Prof Prasad said the previous Government signed a contract with HCF in 2019.
“Under this contract, a new hospital was to be built in Lautoka, and HCF would begin operations when building plans were finalised.
“In early 2022, the previous Government changed the deal. Instead, it demanded that HCF immediately begin operating in the existing Lautoka Hospital. This caused a lot of uncertainty.”
He said Coalition Government and HCF were now working in good faith to resolve these. “They are also working to finalise the new Lautoka Hospital plans.”