Health in Fiji

Last updated

Life expectancy in Fiji is 66 years for men and 72 years for women. [1] Maternal mortality was 59 per 100 000 live births in 2013.

Contents

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative [2] finds that Fiji is fulfilling 76.5% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income. [3] When looking at the right to health with respect to children, Fiji achieves 92.1% of what is expected based on its current income. [3] In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves only 77.4% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income. [3] Fiji falls into the "very bad" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 60.1% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available. [3]

Healthcare

Fiji decided in 1977 to take a village-based approach to primary health care with a network of village health workers. This had some effect, particularly in the improvement of water and sewage systems but the country is short of qualified doctors and nurses. The programme has been criticised because of a lack of proper monitoring of the health standards in the communities and villages. [4]

The secretary of Fiji's Medical Association says Fiji compares well with other developing countries. [5] More than 70% of government spending for healthcare is for hospital services. Health financing is all from general taxation as there is no social health insurance. In 2012 this was about 9.4% of overall government expenditure. Total health expenditure was 4% of gross domestic product in 2012. About a third of that was private health expenditure.

There is a network of 98 nursing stations, similar to health posts and mostly in rural areas, 84 health centres, staffed by either a doctor or a nurse practitioner and 19 subdivisional hospitals across the country. About 61% of the public spending for the nursing stations and 26% of spending for hospital inpatient care is directed to services for the poorest 20% of the population. There are also about 130 private general practitioner clinics. [6]

The incidence of chronic kidney disease is increasing. Renal dialysis is provided free of charge in the intensive care unit but further dialysis costs $750 per week, which is beyond the reach of most of the population. The Kidney Dialysis Centre is a private facility. [7]

For highly specialised healthcare, Fiji continues to rely on overseas health systems and expertise. Such arrangements have caused controversy in the past including one episode in which the leading Fijian academic Ganesh Chand, then Vice Chancellor of Fiji National University, allegedly abused his authority by approving the payments for overseas medical treatment for the then Minister of Education and the Chairman of the Fiji National University Council, Filipe Bole. [8]

Hospitals

There are 25 government hospitals (including two national referral hospitals) and three private hospitals providing secondary and tertiary care in Fiji.

Public and Private Hospitals in Fiji [9]
DivisionSub-divisionRoleHospital nameServed Population (2007)Bed Capacity
CentralN/ANational Referral Centre (NRC)St Giles Hospital850,000136
CentralN/ATamavua/Twomey Hospital850,00091
CentralN/ADivisional and NRCColonial War Memorial Hospital330,245458
Central Tailevu Province Subdivisional Hospital (SDH) – Level 2Korovou Hospital22,28717
Central Rewa Province Nausori Maternity Hospital47,89115
Central Serua Island/ Namosi Province Navua Hospital26,22012
Central Naitasiri Province Vunidawa Hospital19,33221
Central Rewa Province Area MedicalWainibokasi Hospital14,43414
Eastern Lakeba Island SDH – Level 2Lakeba Hospital8,14912
Eastern Lomaloma District Lomaloma Hospital26,22016
Eastern Lomaviti Islands Levuka Hospital16,40040
Eastern Kadavu Island Vunisea Hospital10,28522
Eastern Rotuma Dependency Area MedicalRotuma Hospital2,47914
Eastern Matuku Island Matuku Hospital6505
Western Ba Province, Lautoka City Divisional and NRCLautoka Hospital345,810339
Western Ba Province SDH – Level 1Ba Hospital60.70050
Western Tavua District SDH – Level 2Tavua Hospital28,16042
Western Ra Province SDH – Level 2Rakiraki Hospital30,94022
Western Nadi Conurbation SDH – Level 1Nadi Hospital80,68885
Western Nadroga-Navosa Province SDH – Level 1Sigatoka Hospital54,40060
Northern Macuata Province Divisional and NRCLabasa Hospital [10] 133,070161
Northern Cakaudrove Province SDH – Level 1Savusavu Hospital32,20458
Northern Bua Province SDH – Level 2Nabouwalu Hospital14,66031
Northern Taveuni Island SDH – Level 2Waiyevo Hospital15,32833
Private NRC Rewa Province, Suva Pacific Specialist Healthcare [Note 1] 40
Private Makogai Island P.J. Towmey Hospital [Note 2]
Private Rewa Province, Suva Suva Bayview Hospital
Private Nasese Nasese Private Hospital40
Private Ra Province Ra Meternity Hospital7
Private Nakasi Nine Miles Medical Center
  1. The Pacific Specialist Healthcare hospital opened in 2017 [11]
  2. The P.J. Towmey Hospital was first set up on Makogai Island to cater for leprosy patients in 1911. It was moved to Tamavua in 1969. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Healthcare in Kazakhstan</span>

The Healthcare in Kazakhstan is a post-Soviet healthcare system under reform. The World Health Organization (WHO), in 2000, ranked the Kazakhstan's healthcare system as the 64th in overall performance, and 135th by overall level of health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Paraguay</span>

In terms of major health indicators, health in Paraguay ranks near the median among South American countries. In 2003 Paraguay had a child mortality rate of 29.5 deaths per 1,000 children, ranking it behind Argentina, Colombia, and Uruguay but ahead of Brazil and Bolivia. The health of Paraguayans living outside urban areas is generally worse than those residing in cities. Many preventable diseases, such as Chagas' disease, run rampant in rural regions. Parasitic and respiratory diseases, which could be controlled with proper medical treatment, drag down Paraguay's overall health. In general, malnutrition, lack of proper health care, and poor sanitation are the root of many health problems in Paraguay.

Healthcare in Georgia is provided by a universal health care system under which the state funds medical treatment in a mainly privatized system of medical facilities. In 2013, the enactment of a universal health care program triggered universal coverage of government-sponsored medical care of the population and improving access to health care services. Responsibility for purchasing publicly financed health services lies with the Social Service Agency (SSA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Chad</span>

Health in Chad is suffering due to the country's weak healthcare system. Access to medical services is very limited and the health system struggles with shortage of medical staff, medicines and equipment. In 2018, the UNHCR reported that Chad currently has 615,681 people of concern, including 446,091 refugees and asylum seekers. There is a physician density of 0.04 per 1,000 population and nurse and midwife density of 0.31 per 1,000 population. The life expectancy at birth for people born in Chad, is 53 years for men and 55 years for women (2016). In 2019 Chad ranked as 187 out of 189 countries on the human development index, which places the country as a low human development country.

The Republic of Moldova has a universal health care system.

The health status of Namibia has increased steadily since independence, and the government does have focus on health in the country and seeks to make health service upgrades. As a guidance to achieve this goal, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and World Health Organization (WHO) recently published the report "Namibia: State of the Nation's Health: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease." The report backs the fact that Namibia has made steady progress in the last decades when it comes to general health and communicable diseases, but despite this progress, HIV/AIDS still is the major reason for low life expectancy in the country.

Public expenditure on health in the Gambia was at 1.8% of the GDP in 2004, whereas private expenditure was at 5.0%. There were 11 physicians per 100,000 persons in the early 2000s. Life expectancy at birth was 59.9 for females in 2005 and for males 57.7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in the Republic of the Congo</span>

The Republic of the Congo faces a number of ongoing health challenges.

For the period between 2005 and 2010, El Salvador had the third-lowest birth rate in Central America, with 22.8 births per 1,000. However, during the same period, it had the highest death rate in Central America, 5.9 deaths per 1,000. In 2015 life expectancy for men was 67.8 years and 77.0 years for women. Healthy life expectancy was 57 for males and 62 for females in 2003. There was considerable improvement in socioeconomic and health status from 1990 to 2015. On June 22, 2020, the Hospital El Salvador, a permanent hospital conversion of the convention center in San Salvador, was opened to the public; it is Latin America's largest hospital and was built to receive COVID-19 patients.

The fertility rate was approximately 3.7 per woman in Honduras in 2009. The under-five mortality rate is at 40 per 1,000 live births. The health expenditure was US$197 per person in 2004. There are about 57 physicians per 100,000 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Armenia</span>

After a significant decline in earlier decades, crude birth rates in Armenia slightly increased from 13.0 in the year 1998 to 14.2 in 2015; this timeframe also showed a similar trajectory in the crude death rate, which grew from 8.6 to 9.3. Life expectancy at birth at 74.8 years was the 4th-highest among the Post-Soviet states in 2014.

Life expectancy in East Timor at birth was at 60.7 in 2007. The fertility rate is at six births per woman. Healthy life expectancy at birth was at 55 years in 2007.

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative finds that Suriname is fulfilling 78.4% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income. When looking at the right to health with respect to children, Suriname achieves 94.0% of what is expected based on its current income. In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves only 83.2% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income. Suriname falls into the "very bad" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 57.9% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Mongolia</span>

Modern Mongolia inherited a relatively good healthcare system from its socialist period. A World Bank report from 2007 notes "despite its low per capita income, Mongolia has relatively strong health indicators; a reflection of the important health gains achieved during the socialist period." On average Mongolia's infant mortality rate is less than half of that of similarly economically developed countries, its under-five mortality rate and life expectancy are all better on average than other nations with similar GDP per capita.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Tunisia</span>

In 2016, life expectancy in Tunisia was 74 years for males and 78 years for females. By comparison, in the 1960s it was only 47.1 years. Infant mortality in 2017 was 12.1 per 1,000 live births.

The Health Sector in Eswatini is deteriorating and four years into the United Nations sustainable development goals, Eswatini seems unlikely to achieve the goal on good health. As a result of 63% poverty prevalence, 27% HIV prevalence, and poor health systems, maternal mortality rate is at a high of 389/100,000 live births, and under 5 mortality rate is at 70.4/1000 live births resulting in a life expectancy that remains amongst the lowest in the world. Despite significant international aid, the government fails to adequately fund the health sector. Nurses are now and again engaged in demonstrations over poor working conditions, drug shortages, all of which impairs quality health delivery. Despite tuberculosis and AIDS being major causes of death, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases are on the rise. Primary health care is relatively free in Eswatini save for its poor quality to meet the needs of the people. Road traffic accidents have increased over the years and they form a significant share of deaths in the country.

Life expectancy in Jamaica was 73 years in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Maldives</span>

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative finds that Maldives is fulfilling 72.0% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income. When looking at the right to health with respect to children, Maldives achieves 98.0% of what is expected based on its current income. In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves 99.7% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income. Maldives falls into the "very bad" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 18.2% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in the Federated States of Micronesia</span>

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative finds that the Federated States of Micronesia are fulfilling 94.9% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income. When looking at the right to health with respect to children, the Federated States of Micronesia achieve 97.1% of what is expected based on their current income. In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves only 91.9% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income. The Federated States of Micronesia fall into the "good" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 95.8% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Samoa</span>

Expenditure on health in Samoa was 7.2% of GDP in 2014, US$418 per capita.

References

  1. "COUNTRY PROFILE: FIJI". Electives Network. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  2. "Human Rights Measurement Initiative – The first global initiative to track the human rights performance of countries". humanrightsmeasurement.org. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Fiji - HRMI Rights Tracker". rightstracker.org. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
  4. "Primary health care: Fiji's broken dream". WHO. March 2008. Archived from the original on June 19, 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  5. "Debate continues over quality of health care in Fiji". Radio NZ. 26 April 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  6. "Financing for universal health coverage in small island states: evidence from the Fiji Islands". BMJ Global Health. March 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  7. "The path to the Human Right to healthcare in Fiji is at risk". Public Services International. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  8. "Former FNU VC appears in court".
  9. The Fiji Islands Health System Review (PDF). Vol. 1. World Health Organization, Asia Pacific Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. 2011. p. 63. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 2, 2018.
  10. "Public Hospitals". DAISI. 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  11. "Pacific Specialist Healthcare". Pacific Specialist Healthcare. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  12. "Hospital Celebrates 100 Years Of Care". Fiji Sun On lIne. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2018.