Out-dated private hospitals Act a Risk

The country’s main private hospital is calling on Government to overhaul a law governing private hospitals that has not been updated for nearly 50 years.

It is also warning that the outdated legislation is putting the healthcare sector at risk.

Oceania Hospitals chief executive officer David Qumivutia made the call last Friday during the hospital’s 25th anniversary celebration at the Tanoa Hotel in Suva.

Mr Qumivutia said the Private Hospitals Act that came into effect in September 1979 was no longer fit for purpose.

“A regulatory framework designed nearly five decades ago is no longer adequate for Fiji’s current or future healthcare environment,” Mr Qumivutia said.

He said as private healthcare expands into advanced surgery, digital health, and specialist care, the out-dated law poses operational, clinical, and reputational risks.

Mr Qumivutia said a modernised Act should include updated definitions and facility classifications, stronger licensing and clinical governance standards, regulation of digital health and telemedicine, clear patient rights and safety protections, and alignment with national health reforms.

“Reforming this Act will position Fiji’s private healthcare sector for growth, safety, competitiveness, and regional leadership,” he said.

The Oceania Hospitals marked its 25 years of operation, after opening in 2001 as Suva Private Hospital.

It then evolved into a tertiary and specialist institution serving patients across Fiji and the wider Pacific.

Mr Qumivutia said the hospital now offered complex surgical procedures, interventional cardiology, and advanced neonatal support; these services were previously not locally available.

BSP Life, as the hospital’s shareholder, received its first dividend in 2022 after 22 years of investment.