Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr James Fong says Fiji’s surveillance systems are health system based.
He said this to medical practitioners at a recent Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network (PPHSN) meeting at Lautoka’s Tanoa Waterfront Hotel.
“In Fiji, all of our surveillance systems are health system based; we wait for the sick to come to us before a flag is raised,” Dr Fong said.
“And in a setting where people have poor health seeking behaviour, this may be too late.
“This is why we must also embrace multi-source surveillance, including community-based surveillance, utilising faith-based and other community-based non-medical networks to provide surveillance feedback that can at least direct further investigation, if not lead into a timely and appropriate public health response.”
Dr Fong also urged medical practitioners who were part of the regional meeting to look beyond traditional surveillance models and the one health concept that would provide them an opportunity to explore this space.
He urged participants to stay aware and participate in the current reforms occurring at the international level to the global health security architecture.
“The negotiations by WHO-member States at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) towards a pandemic accord are underway and the member state Working Group on the Amendments to the International Health Regulations (WGIHR) will begin in November.
