FIJI’S future doctors are entering internship under heavy debt, uncertainty and concerns over whether their medical training is properly preparing them for the workforce.
Fiji Medical Association (FMA) acting president Dr Ronal Kumar raised the concern last Saturday, saying the internship program remained one of the most pressing issues affecting the medical profession.
Dr Kumar acknowledged the support provided by DFAT in efforts to strengthen internship training and supervision in Fiji.
However, he said before discussions on internship structures and systems could take place, there needed to be justice and fairness for medical students.
“Each year, Fiji graduates approximately 150 to 200 medical students from our two medical schools, Fiji National University and the University of Fiji, in addition to overseas-trained graduates returning home to fulfil their service bonds,” Dr Kumar said.
“By the time they completed medical school, many young graduates carried educational bonds and financial obligations ranging between $150,000 and $180,000.”
Dr Kumar said a question raised by a medical student at the recent western conference had stayed with him.
“A medical student asked a very simple but powerful question: ‘What can I do to ensure that when I enter as an intern I know what to do?’”
He said young doctors were entering a profession they loved, but were also doing so amid uncertainty, fatigue, financial pressure, workforce shortages and concerns about training pathways and career progression.
“If we are to strengthen healthcare in Fiji, we must also strengthen the environment in which our future doctors are trained, supported, and retained.”
He called on the Ministry of Health, the Higher Education Commission, Fiji National University and the University of Fiji to review how medical school curricula were being run.
Dr Kumar said strengthening the health system required greater focus on the preparation, support and retention of future doctors.
Association warns on overtime payment arrangements changes
THE Fiji Medical Association (FMA) has warned that changes to overtime payment arrangements for health workers is adding pressure to an already stretched workforce.
The Ministry of Health has implemented a policy under which health workers are compensated for overtime through time-off in lieu rather than additional pay.
Acting president Dr Ronal Kumar during the FMA mini conference said the decision has placed added
strain on nurses and allied health workers, contributing to increased stress among frontline staff.
“A day in lieu does not feed your family and definitely does not compensate for the extra hours someone else has to work to cover the in-lieu hours,” Mr Kumar said.
He said healthcare services must operate continuously, regardless of conditions, and rely heavily on staff working beyond normal hours.
“Healthcare is unique in its own form because you can never close a hospital.”
He noted that hospitals remained open during storms, disasters, and public health emergencies, requiring staff to maintain services 24 hours a day.
He argued that financial compensation remained important for workers who rely on overtime income
to support their families.
“There are people working who need to feed their families when they work overtime.”
He noted that replacing overtime payments with time-off arrangements does not fully address staffing shortages, as other workers must still cover those shifts.
Mr Kumar said sustained pressure on nurses, radiographers, laboratory staff, and physiotherapists could affect morale and service delivery.
