A donation of 1,283 medical items, including 170 hospital beds, has arrived in Fiji following a 14-month international collaboration aimed at strengthening the country’s public healthcare system.
Reach 4 Your Future Foundation Inc. announced that the first phase of the project has been completed, with approximately 26 tonnes of hospital equipment transported from the former Footscray Hospital in Melbourne to Fiji in eight 40-foot shipping containers.
The Foundation said the project was the result of 14 months of negotiations between Medical Pantry Founder Dr Martin Nguyen and Reach 4 Your Future Foundation Founder and President Ganesh Sen, who worked with the Western Health Decommissioning Team to recover serviceable hospital assets from the decommissioned Australian facility.
The donation includes hospital beds, patient observation equipment, emergency and medication carts, surgical and clinical care aids, mobility equipment, waiting-room seating and hospital furniture.
According to the Foundation, the 170 hospital beds alone are expected to address approximately one-third of Fiji’s identified hospital bed capacity gap, providing a significant boost to the country’s public health services.
The project received FJ$137,000 in logistics funding from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), which covered international ocean freight and associated transport costs.
Swire Shipping Agencies Fiji and Core Logistics Fiji coordinated the transport of the equipment from Melbourne to Fiji.
In Fiji, Reach 4 Your Future Foundation representative Lanoma Singh worked closely with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services to ensure the donated equipment aligned with national healthcare priorities.
Following the shipment’s arrival, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services took responsibility for customs clearance before beginning the inspection, allocation and distribution of the equipment across Fiji’s public hospital network.
The Foundation said the initiative brought together Western Health, Medical Pantry, Reach 4 Your Future Foundation, New Zealand MFAT, Swire Shipping, Core Logistics Fiji and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services in a partnership that prevented valuable medical assets from being discarded while extending their use to benefit patients and healthcare workers in Fiji.
The Foundation said the next phase of the project will focus on inspecting, allocating and distributing the equipment to hospitals throughout the country.
