The Fiji Pharmaceutical Society (FPS) has welcomed the repeal of the Registration of Specialist Practitioners Act 2016, describing the parliamentary decision as a “long-awaited and much-needed corrective step” for public safety, professional integrity and fairness for local graduates.
In a statement, the Society said the Specialist Practitioners of Expatriate Credentials (SPEC) pathway was originally introduced as an alternative registration system to support skills recognition for expatriate professionals.
However, it said the way the SPEC system operated eventually superseded existing health laws, weakened long-established regulatory safeguards, and created registration routes that bypassed the rigorous competency checks required under the Pharmacy Profession Board and other statutory bodies.
FPS said for years the Act had silenced legitimate concerns from practitioners and stakeholders who witnessed inequities in the system—particularly its impact on local graduates—and risks to the public, who were unknowingly exposed to practitioners who had not undergone the standard background checks, competency assessments, or verification processes required under Fiji’s long-standing professional frameworks.
“Many within the pharmacy and wider health sector argued that the Act unintentionally compromised public safety,” the Society said.
“It allowed individuals to enter health practice under a framework that lacked the scrutiny needed to ensure that claims of specialist skills were genuine, verified and safe.”
FPS said the repeal now restores the authority of existing regulatory mechanisms, which it described as transparent and robust.
The Society added that the government’s decision reflects a strong, deliberate commitment to uphold public health standards and maintain the integrity of Fiji’s health professions.
