Health ministry has 69 vacant senior medical positions

Sixty-nine senior medical positions across Fiji’s public hospitals and health settings are vacant, with 56 of those positions currently covered by acting appointments.

Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu revealed the figures in Parliament in response to a staffing question from Opposition MP Rinesh Sharma.

Dr Lalabalavu said there were 290 established senior medical positions, of which 221 were filled, leaving 69 vacant.

“It includes the senior medical officers, principal medical officers, chief medical officers, consultants, divisional medical officers and medical superintendents,” he said.

The ministry is also exploring the possibility of recruiting health workers from countries including the Philippines to address staffing shortages.

The Minister said discussions were at an early stage and the ministry was working with the Ministry of Employment to assess the proposal.

He said shortages existed in areas including pharmacy and medical imaging technology, with the ministry also focusing on retaining existing staff through incentives and pay packages.

Opposition MP Hem Chand raised concerns about critical vacancies affecting hospital services, including radiographers who operate medical imaging technology.

He asked whether the ministry had analysed shortages to guide the allocation of more scholarships. Dr Lalabalavu said retention was a key concern.

“For us within the ministry is to ensure that before we send them out into the public hospitals, we train them so that they are competent enough to operate individually or as a part of a team in a subdivisional area,” he said.

He said qualifications from local tertiary institutions were recognised in New Zealand and Australia, making graduates marketable internationally and contributing to brain drain and staff shortages.

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