43 newly qualified doctors face job loss, FMA reveals

Forty three newly qualified doctors could be without jobs by the end of this month.

Fiji Medical Association (FMA) president Dr Ronal Kumar revealed this on Saturday as he called on the Ministry of Health and Medical Services to urgently address workforce planning.

Speaking at the FMA’s 2026 Annual Scientific Conference at The Pearl Resort, Pacific Harbour, Dr Kumar said 23 doctors who had completed their internships were still waiting for postings.

“Two from Labasa and 10 from Lautoka will complete the two and a half year internship” this month, he said, with almost 20 others also finishing.

“So they will make 43 new people who don’t have a job.”

Dr Kumar said the shortage of postings was pushing doctors to leave Fiji for countries such as Australia and New Zealand.

“Nobody leaves the country because they stop caring about it,” he said.

He said fixing rosters, supervision, postings and equipment was the real answer to retaining doctors.

Dr Kumar called on the Ministry to complete its internship review with the profession “formally represented in it” and fill vacant funded positions “within a defined time frame.”

He also used the conference to renew pressure on Fiji’s HIV crisis, days after Cabinet declared the outbreak a national crisis, saying the response had been “slow at best.”

Ministry of Health and Medical Services acting permanent secretary Luisa Cikamatana, who officially opened the conference, urged health workers to focus on “results over rhetoric,” the conference theme.

She said an “empowering health system” must give its people “the tools, guidance and opportunity to do their work well.”

Ms Cikamatana added that workforce wellbeing “must be part of how we judge the strength of our health system.”