A man living with HIV in Labasa has called on the Government to provide a dedicated doctor for the North, saying he has to travel to Suva for medical checkups due to a lack of available doctors.
Temo Sasau, who is living with HIV, said he could no longer rely on medical services in Labasa.
“The doctor in Labasa is often unavailable or handling multiple roles,” he said.
Mr Sasau said each visit to Suva costs him around $300.
“My request is for a specific doctor for people in the Northern Division.”
He said more support was needed for people like him.
“With a recent rise in HIV cases in Fiji, there is a serious need for the Government to look into this.”
Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad acknowledged the concern and said it was a good suggestion.
“We can look into that for the Northern Division,” he said. Prof Prasad said the Government had recognised the increase in HIV cases and had allocated $10million to address the issue.
He said an additional $4.5m had also been provided by the regional government.
