Fiji’s health indicators stagnant or lower than low middle-income countries – World Bank report

Fiji’s health indicators stagnant or lower than low middle-income countries – World Bank report

While Fiji has graduated from a low middle income country to a high middle-income country, our health status indicators has remained stagnant and has not improved in the last decade.

In fact, our health status indicators over the last decade are the same or even lower that comparative low middle income countries.

This has has been highlighted by Minister for Health Doctor Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu while responding to the President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu’s opening speech in Parliament.

He says the recently published Health Sector Review Report 2024 from the World Bank has a relevant theme titled “Mo Bulabula ka Bula Balavu” or “Wishing you a Health Life, and a Long Life”.

Dr Lalabalavu says the Ministry is focused on realigning its functions and service for a greater focus on Primary Health Care and believes that it is the means to address the current pressing public health issues of non-communicable diseases and endemic infectious diseases in our population.

He says the Ministry is finalizing its Primary Health Care Strategy that will guide the transformation of primary health care services at all levels in the Ministry in the years to come.

The Minister says the transformation is necessary to ensure they are tackling health problems early through health prevention and promotion strategies with early referrals before they become severe and complicated, and more difficult to address.

He further says the Ministry is working with the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank, as well as partners such as ADB, DFAT, MFAT, JICA, KOICA and bilateral partners to undertake a significant overhaul of health facilities that support and facilitate a transformed primary health care service for Fijians.

Dr Lalabalavu says this initiative will involves modernizing and equipping primary health care facilities at nursing stations, health centres, and subdivisional hospitals to better deliver health services, while at the same time better promote health for the population.

He says the Ministry is working with their partners for the upgrading tertiary health services in the next 5 to 10 years through the establishment of the 100 beds regional Superspecialty Cardiology Hospital by the Govt of India, the new National Rehabilitation Hospital funded by KOICA for more than $20 million FJD, the CWM Hospital Development Project funded by DFAT and the Australian government.

Their partners also include Dr Vijay Kapadia and his dedicated team of specialist overseas cardiologists, Dr Russel Metcalf and Dr Neil Price and their dedicated team of Paediatric surgeons, and Dr Oh, Dr Murali, and Dr Suren Krishna and their dedicated team of specialist overseas team of ENT surgeons, to name a few, who pay their own way into Fiji and provide free high level medical care, and mentoring and training for local health teams.

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