ON January 19, 1982, The Fiji Times published a report of a medical doctor with 39 years of service in Fiji.
He was doctor Benjamin Ravulolo Lomaloma. Dr Lomaloma said he always wanted to be a motor mechanic but he listened to his father’s advice and ended up being a top “mechanic” of human beings.
After 39 years of service in Fiji’s medical fraternity, Dr Lomaloma retired with his last posting as the medical superintendent of the Lautoka Hospital.
Dr Lomaloma, 61, who was on pre-retirement and vacation leave, spoke to The Fiji Times about his experiences, achievements, hopes, disappointments and plans. “I always wanted to be a mechanic,” he said.
“I saw people fiddling around with cars and whirr, off they would go.
“But my old man wanted me to take up medicine and I did not want to disappoint him.
“I have never regretted that decision because being a doctor is a very rewarding work.”
Dr Lomaloma graduated from the Central Medical School in 1942 with a gold medal in medicine and was first posted to Lomanikoro, Rewa, district dispensary where he spent three months before going to Levuka Hospital.
He was later posted to the Koro Island dispensary, Tamavua Hospital (tuberculosis work), Lekutu dispensary (Bua) Tamavua Hospital again and finally to Lautoka as tuberculosis officer Western to organise and open up a TB campaign.
This was the position he held when he was appointed acting superintendent in November, 1978 when the superintendent was on leave.
In May, 1980 he was appointed the medical superintendent replacing Dr Ramesh Patel and continued with other duties as tuberculosis and leprosy control officer Western.
Dr Lomaloma said his only major disappointment was that his hope of seeing the vacant third floor of Lautoka Hospital becoming operational during his term remained unfulfilled because of lack of staff members.
“If the vacant third floor was put to use it would mean an extra 29 beds.”
Dr Lomaloma said the vacant space had the required equipment but needed 28 staff nurses and four sisters before it could be opened.
He had hoped that the nursing school graduates that year would help make up the shortage and enable the vacant space to be used.
“I was hoping to see the ward opened before I left but unfortunately, I couldn’t do it,” he said.
Dr Lomaloma’s most embarrassing moment during his term as medical superintendent was finding himself at a salary level that was lower than staff members working under him
“I’m only a principal medical officer so the consultants and chief medical officers in my staff were on a higher salary level than me,” he said.
“The ministry told me they would upgrade my post to chief medical officer but they never did.
“I’m still a principal medical officer. It was a most embarrassing position.”
Dr Lomaloma was disappointed that the hospital’s X-ray department lacked special machines used for X-rays.
“I know finance is the main thing but having that machine here and we have a room for it, would have saved us having to send patients to Suva,” he said.
Talking about patterns of disease during his time in the medical field, he said he had found heart diseases and diabetes had increased “considerably”. “In my student days, I didn’t see diabetes in a single Fijian.
“But now we get quite a number of them.”
