Australia pledges $5.7 million towards Fiji’s HIV Response Plan

$5.7 million has been pledged by the Australian Government today towards Fiji’s HIV Response Plan.

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated this while launching the Clinical Services Plan at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital this afternoon.

Wong says this includes funding for disease surveillance, for testing, for vital community-led prevention and treatment initiatives,

She says this is in addition to their $30 million CWM health infrastructure commitment, and their commitment of $8 million per year to strengthen Fiji's health systems.

Wong says today they take the next step with the launch of the clinical services plan which sets out what services Fiji and the region will require in the future, and importantly, the workforce needed to deliver it.

She says it provides a blueprint not only for the new national hospital, but also for strengthening services here at CWM.

The Foreign Minister says together they have begun that work, including renovating the acute patient ward, fixing critical plumbing in the maternity ward, boosting water storage, and repairing the roof to stop the persistent leaks.