1.9Million Warehouse Rua to Boost Healthcare Services

In its bid to ensuring safer, effective and more essential supply for medical drugs and equipment, a new extension called Warehouse Rua was commissioned yesterday.

The Minister for Health and Medical Services, Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu officiated at the event at Vatuwaqa, Suva.

Dr Lalabalavu said Warehouse Rua was part of the COVID-19 Emergency Project.

“We noticed an issue with space, especially storage within the hospital and with all the other facilities,” he said.

“Warehouse Rua will house mostly biomedical equipment for the ministry.”

The project cost $1.9 million funded by the World Bank Group through a budget comprising of $US6.40 million ($FJ14.44m) IDA loan and a $US0.95m ($FJ2.14m) grant from the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF).

“The project had three main components, with the first aimed to strengthen Fiji’s response to COVID-19, including disease detection and health system strengthening,” he said.

“The second focused on improving healthcare waste management while the third provided technical and operational assistance for the project, including staff recruitment and financial management.”

Dr Lalabalavu also visited the Naboro landfield where the new incinerator was commissioned.

He said the new project was aimed at modernising the ministry’s handling of medical waste, ensuring safer disposal and minimising public health risks.

“The incinerator can handle 200-250 kilogram of waste per burn, meeting the needs of our healthcare facilities in the Central Division,” he said.

“For this area, the Central Division, especially the Maritime. We do not have a specialised area to incinerate other waste away.

“Currently, we’ve been using Aspen hospital in Lautoka, or the box in Suva.”

The facility will also promote the best waste management practices and environmental stewardship.

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