The Ministry of Health and Medical Services has commissioned 207 nurses to respond to the current demand and deployed 20 new dental officers to enhance productivity.

In a separate event, Ministry of Health Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Kavekini Neidiri said the nurses would be posted to CWM Hospital, Lautoka Hospital and Labasa Hospital.

He says the nurses are currently doing internship process which is mandatory to allow the fresh graduates to adjust to the nursing career.

“The Ministry recruits more nurses every year to replace the retiring nurses and fill in vacancies created by nurses who have resigned from the service for greener pastures,” Mr Neidiri said.

“The Health Ministry has been recruiting nurses annually with new graduates as they complete their studies from the Fiji National University and the Sangam School of Nursing,” he said.

“This will be a major boost to health service delivery and maintain the staff to patient ratio.”

The Ministry of Health will continue to train and certify nurses to deliver the service where they will operate from divisional and sub-divisional hospitals, health centres and nursing stations.

Meanwhile, CWM principal dental officer Dr Jiesa Baro said the recruitment of 20 new dental officers would lift service delivery and enhanced productivity in terms of a reduction in dentist-patient ratio.

The new dental officers had been posted to the various health facilities throughout Fiji.

“These new dental doctors have completed their academic requirements and will be fully fledged dental officers upon receiving their practicing licenses by the Ministry while they are absorbed in the service,” he said.

Edited by Ranoba Baoa

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