The Ministry of Health is preparing a national tender for the replacement of patient monitoring machines and other essential medical equipment following concerns over ageing monitors and shortages at CWM Hospital’s Emergency Department.
When questioned by fijivillage News, Assistant Minister for Health, Penioni Ravunawa says that there was no separate budget for patient monitoring machines at CWM Hospital’s Emergency Department, with funding managed through the Ministry of Health’s broader biomedical equipment allocation.
He says the Ministry acknowledges that the ageing patient monitors at CWM Hospital should have been replaced earlier, and the delay reflects a long-standing backlog of ageing medical equipment, limited capital funding, competing clinical priorities and lengthy procurement processes.
He says Fiji imports virtually all biomedical equipment and spare parts, which adds to costs and affects delivery timelines.
The Ministry’s response comes after fijivillage raised questions about why the CWM Emergency Department had only three patient monitors and what is being done to address the shortage and replace the ageing equipment.
The department has since received 10 new patient monitors donated by the International Women’s Association and GE Healthcare.
IWA President Judy Compain had earlier revealed that she witnessed two patients being resuscitated at the hospital, with staff having to move monitors between them.
Compain says she later contacted a doctor to find out how many monitors were available in the Emergency Department and was told there were only three.
She says after discussions with the hospital about its equipment needs, the decision was made to provide 10 new monitors.
CWM Hospital Chief Medical Officer Dr Deepak Sharma had also confirmed that the previous monitors were installed around 2013 to 2014 and had gone well beyond their intended period of use.
He says there had been several roadblocks and challenges in securing new monitors, but the department has received new monitors for patients in the resuscitation area, as well as mobile monitors.
Dr Sharma says the old equipment had supported the department through the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was time for the monitors to be replaced.
He says the donated equipment includes monitors for patients in the resuscitation area and mobile monitors that will allow staff to continue monitoring patients throughout the Emergency Department, particularly when patient movement is restricted by overcrowding and access block.
Meanwhile, Ravunawa says the Ministry is preparing a national tender to purchase and replace patient monitoring machines and other essential medical equipment across the public health system.
He says the programme will cover tertiary and divisional hospitals, subdivisional hospitals, health centres, nursing stations and outreach services.
The replacement programme will be implemented in phases over five years, with the Ministry taking into account available funding, installation capacity, staff training and long-term maintenance support.
Ravunawa says the Ministry is also seeking quotations to provide immediate relief at facilities where equipment shortages or failures pose the greatest clinical risk, including CWM Hospital.
He says the Ministry is strengthening its national equipment inventory and condition assessments, prioritising replacements according to clinical risk and standardising equipment specifications to prevent similar shortages in the future.
Future procurement will also include warranties, servicing, spare parts, consumables and staff training to ensure new machines remain functional throughout their expected service life.
In response to questions from fijivillage, Minister for Health Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu had earlier said the Ministry has a budgeted equipment purchase and replacement programme, which is currently being funded and implemented by FPBS.
Dr Lalabalavu cited the replacement of floor-mounted and ceiling-mounted X-ray machines in tertiary and subdivisional hospitals as one example of the programme.
He says almost $5 million in Government funding has been committed to transitioning from analogue to digital X-ray equipment, in collaboration with FPBS, a local supplier, the National Adviser on Radiology and medical imaging technologists.
The Minister says the initiative reflects the Government’s commitment to listening to technical staff about their equipment needs and providing the necessary funding.
Ravunawa says the Ministry appreciates the assistance provided by organisations, corporate partners and development partners, but stresses that such support does not replace the Government’s responsibility to invest in and sustain the public health system.
He says the Ministry recognises the public expects critical medical equipment to be available when needed and accepts its responsibility to address existing gaps while implementing a sustainable national replacement programme within its available budget.
The Ministry is also encouraging Fijians to make healthier choices, follow professional medical advice and use primary healthcare and outpatient services appropriately to help reduce avoidable pressure on emergency departments.
However, it acknowledges that preventive healthcare does not replace the need for safe and properly equipped medical facilities.
