Almost 100% increase in HIV cases last year

Fiji recorded 245 cases of HIV last year compared to 151 cases in 2021 which is almost an increase of 100 percent.

This has been revealed by the Minister for Health Doctor Atonio Lalabalavu while speaking in support of the 2023-2024 National Budget.

Dr. Lalabalavu says it is alarming to note that 14 of these cases affect children who are under the tender age of 4.

He says the Ministry will not rest on its laurels in its fight against HIV and are grateful that the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Programme has been allocated $200,000 in the 2023-2024 Budget which is an increase of $110,000 or approximately 122 percent.

The Minister says it is alarming that Fiji has increased its estimated HIV infection by 129 percent over the last decade and according to the UN AIDS Global Report, Fiji is now one of the top 5 countries out of a pool of 38 countries with an alarming rise in infection rates.

He says according to the UN AIDS Report, Fiji is rated 2nd in the Asia-Pacific region with the fastest growing HIV infection and recording 46 HIV related deaths last year – which is also the highest in the region and for Fiji.

While responding to Leader of Opposition Inia Seruiratu’s remarks on funds from the Ministry’s budget being utilised in the Ministry of Education’s $200 Back To School initiative, Dr. Lalabalavu says the Ministry redeployed $10.4 million back to the Ministry of Finance in the latter half of this last budget year. He says in essence the deployed funds were from allocations that they knew could not be spent within the allocated financial year.

Dr. Lalabalavu says this is because by the latter half of the last financial year, the scoping of a number of capital projects including the Savusavu Hospital Refurbishment Project had not yet been completed.

He says they knew that by the time the scoping would be completed we would have to rely on the budget that is currently under debate and discussion today to fund the refurbishment.

Dr. Lalabalavu says this was because of the highly centralized tender process, which in the previous government, was all done in the Construction Implementation Unit.

He says for some capital projects especially the CWM Hospital Maternity Unit Construction and the Labasa Hospital Interior Refurbishment, the tenders had to be repeatedly withdrawn due to escalating costs of building material, (a well-established post COVID occurrence at the time), thus expenditure within the allocated financial year would not be possible.

While congratulating the FijiFirst Government’s efforts in building the Nakasi and Valelevu Health Centres, Navosa Hospital in Keiyasi, Rotuma Hospital and renovations at the CWM Hospital, the Health Minister highlighted that there is no connection of sewerage to the main line at Nakasi Health Centre, Navosa Hospital in Keiyasi had officially opened its doors with borrowed items from various hospitals and health centres thus affecting the provision of quality health care in these facilities, Rotuma Hospital that cost the Ministry approximately $8 million to build had a ground breaking ceremony in December 2014, yet 9 years down the line, it has yet to be completed and they have given a timeline until September while the state of the nation’s Infrastructure Media Tour in February, revealed the appalling state of the 100-year-old CWM Hospital.

The 2023-2024 National Budget debate continues in parliament.