The 500 beds at the CWM Hospital are not meeting the demand that is coming through in Fiji.
General and Chief Pediatric Surgeon at the CWM Hospital, Dr Josese Turagava highlighted this after the World Cancer Day Landmark Lighting held at the Grand Pacific Hotel last night.
Dr Turagava says due to the increase in the number of people who are moving to the Lami, Suva and Nausori corridor, the demand that is in the hospital is just too much.
He says the CWM Hospital was only created to look after a certain number of people, but with all the demand, it will take patients admitted with a suspected appendix in Navua two to three days for a bed to clear off at CWM.
He adds out of the eight operating theatres at the hospital, only three or four are functioning, and during an operation last two weeks, the ceiling of one of the theatres fell showing that the hospital needs a lot of maintenance and renovation.
He says they have got a whole lot of waiting lists of cancer patients but they are not able to look at them because most of them have to come in after hours to clear the workload.
The Chief Surgeon says we need to start thinking for the next 50 to 100 years and create something sustainable for the future.
He says one of the examples is that their sterilising machine has been there for the last 24 years and has not been changed, the same with their boiler and laundry room which was burnt over two years ago and they are still outsourcing all the other work.
He says the CWM Hospital needs a change for cancer services to improve, and they need to improve the facility's infrastructure and supply chains so that they can improve their work.
The Chief Surgeon adds with all the awareness, a lot of women are more willing to come in but are stuck with a waiting list.
Stay with us for developments.
