Health in Fiji

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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
Westerb 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]

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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.
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