Outer-island communities face healthcare gaps: Volatabu

Drug World Fiji founder Kalesi Volatabu has raised concerns that gaps in healthcare access are leaving outer-island and rural communities without timely support, particularly in responding to drug-related health issues and HIV.

Ms Volatabu said essential health services and support remained heavily concentrated in Suva, while communities outside the capital continued to face significant gaps.

She said delays in responses from health teams were particularly concerning for communities dealing with drug-related health issues and HIV.

“We’ve lived in the village now, and I’m sitting and we’ve requested for the HIV team to come out to do drug testing,” she said.

Ms Volatabu said the situation highlighted gaps in Fiji’s health response, particularly for people living in rural and maritime communities.

She called on authorities to engage more closely with grassroots organisations and communities to understand the services they needed and the approaches that worked.

“We talk about the problem, but we don’t look at the solutions,” she said.

“Speak to the people that’s on the ground. They will tell you what works and what doesn’t work.”

Ms Volatabu said a coordinated approach was needed to address drug-related health concerns rather than relying heavily on law enforcement.

She also questioned whether enough preventive health support was reaching communities outside Suva.

Ms Volatabu said addressing the disparity required stronger grassroots engagement and faster access to health services for vulnerable communities.