Serious concerns have been raised about the shortage of sterile water in some public hospitals and health centres and Minister for Health Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu is urging health facilities to utilise what is available to them, adding in practical cases where sterile water is not available, normal saline can be used.
Sterile water is used in the preparation of certain injectable medicines.
A member of the public, who wishes to remain anonymous, says he has been informed that while strict requirements are being enforced at CWM Hospital, some smaller government health centres may not have an adequate supply of sterile water for patients requiring injections.
He says this raises a serious public-interest question about what happens to patients attending smaller health centres when sterile water is not available.
He adds that patients who require injections should not be placed in a situation where they are expected to purchase an essential item themselves before receiving treatment, particularly those with limited financial means.
He says many patients rely on government health centres precisely because they cannot afford private healthcare or additional medical expenses.
The listener stresses that his concerns are not directed at individual doctors, nurses or other health workers, but at the availability of essential medical supplies and whether patients across Fiji have equitable access to safe treatment.
Responding to questions from fijivillage News, Minister for Health Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu says he has not been informed of any shortages of sterile water or IV fluids, however, if there is a shortage of sterile water at hospitals or health centres, it is the Ministry's responsibility to source it and have it delivered to the facility where it is needed.
