The revelation that a visiting team of Australian officers made about our healthcare system recently should attract attention.
The team has raised serious concerns about what it believes is the long-term impact of poor hygiene and rural Fiji’s limited access to medical and dental services.
Esesson Foundation founder Ajitha Sugnanam said there were services available at the Labasa Hospital, but these were limited.
“Once you step outside the hospital’s reach, especially into rural and remote areas, options for healthcare, particularly dental, are close to non-existent,” she said.
One of the most common conditions encountered, Dr Sugnanam said, was scabies, a highly contagious skin disease that spreads rapidly in overcrowded conditions with poor sanitation. Scabies, she said, was just one example of a condition that could be reduced with better hygiene and access to basic treatment.
That observation underlines a broader truth, that much of what burdens our rural communities could be avoided if proper attention, resources, and planning were in place.
Sometimes we need revelations such as these to keep ourselves grounded, to remind us of the gaps that remain in our society, and to push us to address issues that require urgent attention.
Too often, we later realise that rural dwellers are neglected. Their needs, while basic, are profound. Like everyone else, they need clean water, safe sanitation, access to doctors, nurses, and dentists. When these needs go unaddressed, the cycle of poverty and poor health impacts the potential of entire communities.
It is encouraging, therefore, that this visiting team spoke out about what they saw, providing observations that should form the basis of a stronger, more equitable health system for us. Their words must be seen as valuable reflections, urging us to do better for our people. That should be the goal. That should be the drive we carry forward, to help every Fijian, regardless of whether they live in an urban centre or the most remote outer island. High rates of hypertension, diabetes, and dental decay stem from poor nutrition, excessive consumption of sugary drinks, lack of exercise, and smoking. They are lifestyle factors that can be tackled with awareness, education, and access to better choices.
For years, we have spoken about prevention as the key to better health outcomes, but the question is whether prevention has been adequately prioritised.
Prevention is cheaper, more sustainable, and ultimately far more effective than trying to treat diseases after they have taken root. Let’s be a nation that invests in prevention.
We acknowledge the commitment of the visiting Australian team. They have signaled their desire to extend care to the outer islands, to areas where health services are “virtually non-existent”.
That acknowledgment alone is powerful.
We cannot continue to take the struggles of rural communities for granted. They deserve the same attention, the same investment, and the same respect. Too often, we overlook what lies outside our immediate vision, forgetting that a nation is only as strong as its most vulnerable citizens.
We take a lot of things for granted, and it sometimes requires someone from the outside to point them out.
