A heartfelt plea for better resourcing of rural health services has been made by Moala District Council of Social Services as calls are being made for the government to accelerate the decentralisation of key services to outer islands such as Moala in the Lau group.
While speaking during a special session at the Fiji Council of Social Services Annual General Meeting and Women’s Leadership Panel, representative Usaia Moli highlighted the ongoing struggles faced by pregnant women in Moala, who are required to travel to Suva for maternal care from their fifth month of pregnancy.
Moli says they are sending a minimum of four women to Suva every month, and these women are funded by the government to travel, along with their caregivers, who accompany them for up to six months to provide support.
He is urging that more resources be directed towards local health services and infrastructure in the outer islands.
Moli says Moala has three nursing stations and one health centre, but no boats and no vehicles.
He adds that there are seven small government ministries based on the island, but only one vehicle available for use.
The representative questioned the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Professor Biman Prasad on how the 2025/2026 National Budget will support this decentralisation — particularly in relation to better equipment, transport and staffing for rural health workers.
He emphasised that facilities and resources are needed for nurses as well, and that women should not have to make such long journeys simply to access basic healthcare.
While responding, Professor Prasad acknowledged the dire state of the nation’s healthcare infrastructure and outlined ongoing efforts to upgrade hospitals and health centres, beginning with critical sites such as Kadavu Hospital.
He says during his first visit to Kadavu a couple of months ago, he was shocked to see the state of the hospital and the infrastructure available for civil servants, including the lack of vehicles.
He says within a week of his return, five additional vehicles were sent to the island, and upgrade work on the hospital has already commenced and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Professor Prasad explains the government had inherited one of the most dilapidated health systems in the country, and that they are now actively addressing the situation.
He says there is adequate funding within the Ministry of Health for the upgrade and maintenance of health centres and nursing stations across the country.
He says they have taken note of those concerns and will work on Moala to see how quickly they can provide additional resources, such as vehicles, and assess how they can upgrade the health centre and nursing stations.
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