Services at the CWM Hospital are expected to improve as the Government of Australia has committed another $14.5 million for infrastructure upgrades for the hospital.
The announcement was made today by the Australian High Commissioner Ewen McDonald while launching the Colonial War Memorial Hospital Priority Infrastructure Plan.
He says these funds will target projects identified in the plan, and most importantly, they will commence implementation immediately, ensuring improvements to CWM are achieved over the coming months.
McDonald says in addition, Australia will also work with the Fiji Government to establish a staff project management unit within the Ministry of Health and Medical Services.
He says this is something the Minister for Health and the Deputy Prime Minister has talked about in the past, and the reason they think this is so important is because it will accelerate Fiji's ability to deliver health infrastructure using its own funds by bringing technical expertise in procurement and project management.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says the Priority Infrastructure Planning Report that they launched today was put together by a technical team of experts and infrastructure engineers after a thorough assessment of the existing infrastructure.
He says the report identified the immediate work requirements for the hospital, while the master plan is being developed for the longer term.
Rabuka says the Minister of Health has also told him that the lift is also part of the priority and the implementation of the recommended actions and work that is in the report will ensure that the existing CWM Hospital continues to serve the people of Fiji for the next few years while the structural and layout works continue until the new CWM Hospital becomes operational.
