Fiji does not have any data on postpartum depression effects on women, says Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Lynda Tabuya.
While speaking on The Fiji Times online news portal, The Lens@177, she said the ministry continued to support women’s postpartum depression, which affects 10 to 20 percent of women, through improved health services and counselling.
“Fiji, we do not have the data on it,” Ms Tabuya said.
“We do need to collect this data, and it needs to be done.
“We can model on what the World Health Organization (WHO) has put out, so that’s about the right indication.”
She said the ministry’s plan to work towards preventing gender-based violence, through the National Action Plan, was focused on the sexual and reproductive health and rights of our women.
“The health of our women is vital to our economy. It is vital to society.
“It is vital to the family because a healthy woman is a productive woman. A healthy woman is an empowered woman. This is something the ministry is looking at in terms of the scope of the prevention of violence against women.
“We work in conjunction with our Ministry of Health as the line ministry that looks after the health of our women. What we need in Fiji, is more services for counselling and we need more psychologists.
“We know we need more women psychologists who focus on this, it is something that we lack in Fiji.”
She also commended the work of organisations such as Empower Pacific, Medical Services Pacific, Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre (FWCC) and Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM) in their efforts of collecting data on women in Fiji.
