Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services Doctor James Fong says the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to improve Fiji’s existing surveillance systems.

Dr Fong said Fiji must explore other multi-source surveillance models rather than sticking to traditional models.

While delivering his speech virtually, at the Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network (PPHSN) Regional Meeting held at the Tanoa International Hotel in Nadi yesterday, Dr Fong said in Fiji all surveillance systems were health system based.

He said: “During the pandemic, the high rate of testing, thousands of samples a day and daily updates to the public was an unprecedented and extreme test of our systems,” he said.

He said in the midst of the Delta outbreak in 2021, the Fijian Government with the assistance of development partners were able to bring on surge capacity to support the lab-based system for COVID-19 surveillance but it was evident that a digital system was needed.

Pacific Public Health Surveillance Improve

Pacific Communty’s (SPC) Doctor Salanieta Saketa, the Public Health Division Senior Epidemiologist- Surveillance, Preparedness and Response Programme said since the inception of the Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network in 1997, there has been a vast improvement in the sharing of health sector information among Pacific Island countries.

She said the Pacific Community (SPC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) were the two organisations in the region tasked to set up a network that would support countries to strengthen surveillance and response to emerging public health threats sustainably and has connected more than 1000 health professionals.

The three-day meeting comprises Directors of Health from the Pacific Island countries.

Story by: salote.qalubau@fijisun.com.fj