Village Requests for Doctors

The deployment of doctors to rural health centres is determined by a number of factors, says Acting Prime Minister and Attorney-General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

He said these factors included providing ac­commodation for both nurses and doctors.

“We need to have enough staff quarters available for the nurses and doctors,” he said.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum made these comments when responding to queries raised by villag­ers of Dogutuki, Macuata during his visit to the Dogutuki Nursing Station on Wednesday.

The villagers requested the Mr Sayed-Khai­yum for doctors to be transferred or to be based at the nursing station.

The villagers said this would support nurses with the expertise needed to treat and manage their patients in a rural setting.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said they would consult with the Ministry of Health and Medical Ser­vices on this request.

He also said they would have to identify and confirm the number of nursing and health centre’s nationwide, requiring permanent doctors.

“We have to also see how many graduate doc­tors are coming out of universities each year to cater for this demand,” he said.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum added that stable inter­net connectivity now available at Lagi and Dogutuki Health Centres would encourage health staff to provide the best tele-medicine services to their patients.

Feedback: sampras.anand@fijisun.com.fj