Health

Fiji generally has a good standard of health and compares well with other Pacific Island nations. The country's health status meets or exceeds most of the World Health Organization’s goals for the Year 2008. Such a status is due to improved health standards, sound comprehensive health care programme and the untiring effort of the Ministry of Health in promoting healthy living for people. The Ministry of Health has formulated its new Strategic Plan for 2005-2008 and will focus on five main thematic areas of:

1. Provision of affordable, well planned, quality health services (preventative, diagnostic, clinical, pharmaceutical, rehabilitative) to everyone in Fiji.
2. Protection of Health of citizens through the review of formulations of appropriate policies, legislation, regulations and standards that safeguard health.
3. Promotion of Health through the development and maintenance of effective partnerships that empower all stakeholders of health promotion so as to reduce risk factors related to communicable and non-communicable diseases.
4. Development and retention of a valued, committed and skilled workforce to enhance the delivery of quality health services.
5. Development and use of an integrated management system to empower managers to maximize resources and promote continuous improvement at all levels of health service delivery.

Primary health care involves the provision of primary medical treatment, preventive medicine and health education. About 95% of primary medical care is provided by doctors in government hospitals, health centres and nursing stations throughout the country. They are complemented by general practitioners in private practice in most urban centres. The hospitals, health centres and nursing stations provide outpatient medical treatment, antenatal and postnatal care, family planning and development and screening of children. Divisional hospitals provide screening for cancer of the breast and cervix, immunisation, clinical laboratory facilities, health education and dental care. Psychiatric care is provided in a separate institution. All school children are medically examined at regular intervals by school health teams. Health education activities and training are important ongoing programmes for the sector. The public is encouraged to adopt healthy lifestyles to ensure their well-being and to learn proper use of health services through media, publications, audio visuals and counseling. Nutrition, a major determinant of health, is being addressed by the Food and Nutrition Committee which was stablished by government to encourage the public to adopt to better and healthier eating habits.
 

The Government continues to push for improved curative services. The focus has been on the quality of treatment provided, staffing, upgrading of existing facilities and the provision of equipment and technologies to meet current demands. There are a total of around 307 doctors in the public service providing inpatient and ambulatory care. The private hospital system is also emerging as an alternative means of medical care provision in Fiji. Government continues to acknowledge and encourage the private sector which supplements the efforts of the Ministry of Health. A new private hospital run by the Colonial Group has been established in the capital Suva and offers state of the art medical equipment and highly trained staff.