Dr Aalisha Sahukhan has been appointed Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services, with Public Service Commission Chairman Luke Rokovada welcoming the appointment and expressing confidence in her leadership of the ministry.
Dr Sahukhan brings extensive experience in public health leadership, health emergency preparedness and response, infectious disease epidemiology, health diplomacy and health system strengthening.
She has held several senior responsibilities within the Ministry of Health, including leadership of Health Protection, the Fiji Centre for Disease Control, Environmental Health, and Health Emergencies and Climate Change.
Her career has included leading Fiji’s response to major public health challenges, including meningococcal C, measles, leptospirosis and the COVID-19 pandemic, working alongside former Health Permanent Secretary Dr James Fong and the late Dr Jemesa Tudravu.
She also contributed to Fiji’s achievement of World Health Organization verification of measles and rubella elimination and validation of trachoma elimination as a public health problem.
At the international level, Dr Sahukhan has represented Fiji as Chief Negotiator in WHO Member State negotiations for the Pandemic Agreement and amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005).
She has also undertaken expert advisory roles with the WHO and served on the Technical Advisory Panel for the World Bank’s Pandemic Fund.
Mr Rokovada said Dr Sahukhan brought a combination of technical expertise, public health leadership and national and international experience.
“Dr. Sahukhan brings an exceptional combination of technical expertise, public health leadership and national and international experience,” Mr Rokovada said.
He said her contribution during some of Fiji’s most significant public health emergencies demonstrated her capacity to provide strategic and decisive leadership.
“The Commission is confident that she will make a significant contribution to the continued strengthening of Fiji’s health system and the delivery of quality health services to our people,” he said.
Dr Sahukhan holds a medical degree from the Fiji School of Medicine, a Master of Public Health and Graduate Certificate in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, obtained through a Fulbright Scholarship.
She has also completed a Public Health Emergency Management Fellowship with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and served as Senior Lecturer in Disaster Health and Humanitarian Assistance at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia.
Health Minister Ratu Dr Atonio Lalabalavu also welcomed the appointment, recognising Dr Sahukhan’s contribution to the ministry and her leadership in public health, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and in subsequent years.
