Teen drug use worries PM, calls for action

The report of a 14-year-old admitted to St Giles Psychiatric Hospital following methamphetamine use. The case later revealed that the child had also contracted HIV.

Mr Rabuka said the incident highlights a growing public health crisis among Fiji’s youth, linking drug abuse to the spread of HIV and AIDS.

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has highlighted concerns over the spread of HIV among young Fijians, drawing parallels with neighbouring Papua New Guinea, which recently declared an HIV outbreak affecting Indigenous communities.

Mr Rabuka said that Fiji continued to grapple with the virus, particularly among youth, amid gaps in mental health services and preventive programmes. 

He said that addressing the crisis requires more than government action alone, calling for a broader societal response.

“Health officials are limited in what they can do. The Government is limited in what we can do,” he said. 

“We can try and educate the people to the real dangers and the damages of these practices.”

He said the need for coordinated efforts across all levels of society from homes and villages to law enforcement and health agencies. 

“It’s the police, the government that polices those things and makes sure that everybody abides by the law and encourages the observance of law in the country,” he added.

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