THE Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWM) will undergo a major overhaul that will turn it into a new regional state-of-the-art hospital, with $US70million ($F159m) budgeted for its complete revamp under the $US239.50m ($F541.30m) Pacific Healthy Islands Transformation (PHIT) project.
PHIT is one of the first two projects jointly funded by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under their new co-financing Full Mutual Reliance Framework (FMRF), and was officially announced in Manilla on December 5 by World Bank president Ajay Banga and ADB president Masato Kanda.
Set to transform health sectors across the Pacific region and target non-communicable diseases (NCDs), PHIT and a bulk of its financing will be rolled out in Fiji, starting with the upgrade of CWM and health centres across Fiji before it is extended to Kiribati, Tonga and Tuvalu, with the scope to also include other Pacific countries later.
“Of the total $US239.5million financing for PHIT, $US181.9m ($F413.39m) (financed through multiple financing sources) is allocated to Fiji,” the World Bank said in response to questions sent by this newspaper.
“Fiji is using PHIT to support a major health sector reform, of which $US70m ($F159m) from the project financing will go toward investments at CWM Hospital, a major component of the project. This includes starting the new referral and training hospital by building a Radiotherapy Centre.
“PHIT will also fund rehabilitation of existing CWM buildings, based on the Priority Infrastructure Plan and in coordination with government and development partners.
“PHIT will upgrade health facilities throughout Fiji, not just CWM Hospital, making it easier for people to get care closer to home. “Selected sites in all four divisions will serve as learning centres, including Vacalea Nursing Station, Tukavesi and Kamikamica Health Centers, and Valelevu Health Centre.
“The project will also invest in telehealth and digital tools to improve diagnosis and treatment, helping local clinics connect with larger hospitals and easing pressure on major facilities,” the World Bank stated.
PHIT, it added, “builds on the priorities identified in the Fiji Health Sector Review launched by Prime Minister Rabuka in November 2024, which outlined practical steps to strengthen Fiji’s health system.”
“The project’s overall goal is to expand access to quality health services across participating Pacific countries, with a strong focus on improving prevention and management of non-communicable diseases.”
In its project appraisal document, the World Bank said Pacific Island Countries bore some of the world’s highest rates of NCDs, driving significant mortality and disability, particularly among the working-age population.
“In 2021, NCDs were estimated to account for 59-66 per cent of premature deaths among 15-49-year-olds in Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, and Tuvalu, exceeding the global average of 41 per cent,” it noted.
PHIT is expected to create 11,000 new jobs across the Pacific and benefit about 1.3 million people in Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga and Tuvalu.
