Ali calls on doctors in the West to offer services in kind

The Coordinator of the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre, Shamima Ali is calling on doctors in the Western Division to offer services in kind and they are hoping to set up a medical centre to provide assistance to those affected by COVID-19.

Ali says they are pushing for bi-partisanship as they have many brains in the country and need to use these brains and skills from different sectors of the society and share resources to provide assistance to those that have lost jobs and are facing major difficulties.

She made these comments at the opening of the new COVID-19 Civil Society Organisation Alliance Humanitarian Response Centre in Navakai, Nadi which is expected to better streamline assistance efforts for communities in the Western Division who have been affected by COVID-19.

The Centre will be distributing food rations, seedlings, facilitating training and providing counselling and certain legal services to those impacted by COVID-19.

The Centre has been opened in partnership with TISI Sangam, Foundation for Rural Integrated Enterprises and Development, Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre and the CSO Alliance for COVID-19 Humanitarian Response.

Ali says the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre never partnered with FRIENDS and TISI Sangam but they are now forming new alliances and this has to be done in the new norm.

She says they have to look after women who are suffering from domestic violence and the Nadi Centre will be providing counselling services to women and men.

Ali says men are also going through a lot of trauma and when they lose their jobs, their manhood is affected and they vent out their frustrations on women and children.

She says these men would then need counselling because they cannot do anything as they have lost their jobs and have loans to pay.

Ali says they have already set up a men’s line where their male advocates can talk to men who are coming to access services.

The Fiji Women's Crisis Centre 24 hour emergency number is 9209470.