Accident Compensation Commission of Fiji (ACCF) chief executive officer Parvez Akbar says there is room for increasing the scope of the works to cover sporting injuries in future.

During a one-day awareness programme at Fiji Sugar Corporation training centre in Labasa, Mr Akbar said last year they started with compensation for motor vehicle acci­dents and expanded this year to include ac­cidents at the workplace and schools.

“Motor vehicle, employment and school accidents are significant areas for Fiji as a small nation,” Mr Akbar said.

“We are punching well above our weight in terms of victims of accidents.

“But there is room for increasing the scope and something that we will look into in the future is sporting injuries.

“This is our first awareness programme in Labasa and the key thing is making sure to let the people be aware of what the require­ments are, the procedures involved and how to apply.

“Every employer is required to pay one per cent levy to Fiji National University; this is a legal requirement which many employers forget.

That is where our funding comes from for the employment and school accidents.

“The funding for the motor vehicle comes from the motor vehicle levy that you pay at Land Transport Authority.”

“We want the people to know that if they are victims of motor vehicle accidents, em­ployment accident or school accident, they may be entitled to compensations depending on whether they qualify or not, please get in touch with us.”

Mr Akbar said the ACCF wanted to see situ­ations where people were able to prevent mo­tor vehicle accidents.

“We would like to see pedestrians and driv­ers mindful of road safety.

Looking after our safety and safety of oth­ers is very important,” he said.

Valebasoga Tropik Board Limited human resource manager and occupational health safety officer Amrul Sharif thanked Mr Ak­bar for the informative programme.

Edited by Epineri Vula

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