A SENIOR health official has called for an urgent overhaul of HIV prevention strategies in Fiji, warning that current approaches are failing to address a growing public health crisis.
Principal medical officer for Sexual and Reproductive Health and HIV at the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Dashika Balak, made the remarks during a cultural dialogue hosted by Fiji National University’s College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences in Tamavua on Monday.
“We have to understand and we have to acknowledge that the response that we have currently, the response that we have for decades, are not suited for the current crisis we are facing,” Dr Balak said.
She highlighted that traditional prevention strategies were no longer effective.
“When I talk about response, especially the prevention strategies that we have been using in the past, it’s not fit at all for this current situation.
“When I talk about prevention, I know about ABC’s, we talk about abstinence, we talk about being faithful, using condoms. This does not work in this day and year.”
She said behavioural approaches alone were insufficient, noting low condom usage despite availability.
“The last figures show us that out of the general population, less than 20 per cent use condoms, despite condoms being available free of charge.”
She stressed the need to adopt science-based interventions.
“And these are mainly pre-exposure prophylaxis, post-exposure prophylaxis and harm reduction strategies that include needle-syringe program.”
Dr Balak added that stigma remained a major barrier.
