WHO meeting in Fiji warns of rising regional health crises

Fiji is at the center of urgent regional talks on health crises threatening Pacific communities.

For the first time in over a decade, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Regional Committee for the Western Pacific is meeting on Pacific soil at Sheraton Fiji Golf and Beach Resort at Denarau in Nadi this week.

Leaders and health ministers from 38 member states are in Fiji to confront worsening threats to public health, including non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mental health struggles, climate change impacts, and health system financing.

At the opening of the 76th WHO Regional Committee Meeting on Sunday, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka stressed that Fiji is already facing the consequences of global health challenges.

Mr Rabuka said NCDs and mental health issues were lived realities of almost every Fijian family.

Mr Rabuka acknowledged the progress Fiji has made in legislating healthy school policies and decentralising mental health care, but warned that stigma, underfunding, and gaps in services remain barriers.

“The path to a Healthy Pacific is not just through hospitals and policies but also through justice, empowerment, equity, and love for our people,” he said.

WHO’s Western Pacific regional director, Saia Ma’u Piukala, said that the Pacific’s health challenges demand collective action.

“Each voice, each thread, is part of the mat we weave together, and the mat we weave this week will become the foundation on which our region stands stronger, more united, and more compassionate.”

Mr Piukala praised the region’s recent successes, including the elimination of measles and rubella in 21 Pacific Island countries and the removal of trachoma in Fiji and Papua New Guinea. However, he warned against complacency.

“Verification is not the finish line, and the risk of outbreaks remains if we let our guard down. We must keep vaccination coverage high and surveillance strong,” he said.

Mr Piukala also warned of the growing burden of alcohol-related harm, the resurgence of HIV in parts of the Pacific, and the existential threat of climate change.

“Our agenda this week centres around three key priorities: reducing NCDs, addressing the climate and health nexus, and strengthening preparedness for future health emergencies,” he said.

Outgoing WHO regional chairperson, Vainetutai Rose Toki-Brown, said that the region still struggles to fund health systems adequately.

“Public health spending in the Western Pacific remains inadequate to meet growing needs, and people are being forced to choose between health and poverty,” she said.

Ms Toki-Brown urged that member states must now strengthen governance and ethical frameworks.

“Cases of oral disease have grown by 30 per cent over the past 30 years, and one in five adults over the age of 60 has lost all their teeth.”

“Oral diseases are largely preventable, but if left unaddressed, they reduce nutrition, cause pain, and lower quality of life,” she said.

The meeting coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Yanuca Declaration, where Pacific leaders first envisioned a region of Healthy Islands.

As the host nation, Fiji positioned itself at the heart of this renewed push for stronger regional health action.

“Peaceful societies are healthier societies, and inclusive governance fosters stronger health outcomes. Compassion in leadership will deliver people-centered systems,” Mr Rabuka said.

This week’s WHO meeting in Fiji is more than ceremonial; it is a reminder that Pacific nations face interconnected health crises that demand urgent and collective solutions.

Feedback: katherine.naidu@fijisun.com.fj