Nothing new, says Health Minister
Dr Lalabalavu admitted that Fiji does not have a “perfect” health system.
Saturday 25 January 2025 | 10:44
(From L-R) A patient is carried up the stairs at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital due to malfunctioning elevators in the hospital, One of the toilets at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital..and The ceiling in one of the rooms at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital. PHOTO: Beranadeta Nagatalevu
The shortage of medicine is nothing new, says the Minister for Health and Medical Service, Dr Atonio Lalabalavu.
"It’s a global issue, he said."
On Friday, the Fiji Sun visited the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) to verify claims of medicine shortage, elevators not working and other woes and struggles patients quitely faced at the hospital.
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“Right now there is a global stock or global supply issue with IV Fluids,” Dr Lalabalavu said.
“As such we have to reprioritise the stock that we have. In early February, we are expecting about 20,000 IV Fluids to be here on our shores.
“When the stock is low, it is due to the supply chain, when that happens … we will have to prioritise our stock here,”
Some of the lifts at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital are still not in operation. Photo: Beranadeta Nagatalevu
Dr Lalabalavu said the intraoperative CT (iCT) scanners which had not been operational for “quite some time” would be replaced soon.
Patients who needed ICT scans were pursuing these services at their expense at private medical centres.
“Shortage of medicine is nothing new, it’s an ongoing thing,” Dr Lalabalavu said.
“Simply of the fact that 100 per cent are acquired from overseas, as such we are limited by the supply that we get based on the storage and the procurement process.”
Dr Lalabalavu admitted that Fiji does not have a “perfect” health system.
He said the Ministry continued its effort to improve services at the CWMH and other hospitals and health centres across the country.
“We are already getting help, but to say that we have the perfect health system, no, we don’t have,” Dr Lalabalavu said.
“Government has done a lot of things, invested in a lot of things to try to improve our health system, infrastructure, procurement of medicine, remuneration of staff.”
When questioned on the dysfunctional elevators at the CWMH, he said: “It’s an old lift, it needs to be replaced.”
Dr Lalabalavu said he was concerned with patients being carried for treatments because elevators were not working.
“I’m concerned, in that scenario, all the necessary precautions are considered,” he said.
“They have to do the surgery. It’s a 50-year-old lift and the solution needs to be replaced.”
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