We have to do better to look after our people, says Fiji Medical Association vice president Dr Ronal Kumar.

He said medical professionals including doctors were not being looked after properly hence they are seeking employment elsewhere.

“I would like all of us to pledge to look after our own staff,” said Dr Kumar while speaking to FMA members in Sigatoka over the weekend.

“There is a group of people who will always leave and that is fine and there is another group who cannot leave, but the ones that we have to look after are the ones in the middle.

“These are the ones who only need one or two reasons to leave. We need to look after them,” Dr Kumar said.

Dr Kumar said good leadership could also spark employees to stay despite finding better options overseas.

“We can do better to look after our own people.

“We have to look after the ones who are willing to work with us if we just listen to them and come up with solutions that benefit both parties.”

Dr Kumar said one group of medical professionals that continue to face these challenges were nurses.

“I feel for them. I understand that we can’t pay nurses $70,000, but when we go to New Zealand that $70,000 is nothing.

“The cost of living is so high that you are happier with the $20,000 being paid here than that $70,000 in New Zealand.

“But our nurses prefer to leave because they are not growing in their fields.

“People need to be given opportunities to grow. To become specialists.

“We all want to see ourselves be better in 10 years with a lot more opportunities and be able to progress upwards.

“What we are seeing now is a lot more senior people and specialists are starting to migrate.”