Government will set up retirement villages in the Western Division, says Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

The A-G made this comment while opening a talanoa session at the Nadi District School on Saturday.

He said the Western Division was an ideal location because of the weather.

“I always argue that people in the West are a lot nicer too,” he said.

“A lot of people are now talking about retirement villages. It will boost up the economy.”

“It is strategic thinking; we think long term.”

The A-G added that a new wing would be constructed at the Lautoka Hospital being an operating learning theatre so Fijian doctors could watch and learn to do open heart surgery.

There is no single Fijian doctor who can perform open heart surgery.

“But we have the hotel rooms here, if you have a hospital that can do open-heart surgery, if you have a hospital that can do chemo therapy for cancer, then a lot more companies will want to set up their retirement village in Fiji because they know elderly people require the services; you have to have that hospital that can provide that service so we are trying to get retirement villages in Fiji,” he said.

He said the reason why the Lautoka Hospital was chosen was because there was available land to build more wings and it was close to the Nadi International Airport.

“Other Pacific Island people will come to Fiji if they also don’t have those procedures available,” the A-G said.

“What does it mean for us? When they come from overseas, they spend their money, we get money, they’ll stay at our hotels, our nurses and doctors will get employed.”

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