Corrections Commissioner suspended by COC

The Commissioner of Fiji Corrections Service, Doctor Jalesi Nakarawa has been suspended by the Constitutional Offices Commission following several allegations against him that warrant an investigation.

The Commission in accordance with section 137(4) of the Constitution has advised the President to suspend the Commissioner pending investigation and pending referral to a tribunal and appointment of a tribunal.

The Commission has endorsed the appointment of Sevuloni Naucukidi, presently the Assistant Commissioner, to act as Commissioner of Fiji Corrections Service with immediate effect. The COC says this decision is made to ensure the continued efficiency and effectiveness of the Fiji Corrections Service pending the investigation and pending referral to a tribunal of the Commissioner.

In early February this year after a fijivillage News investigation looking into allegations that Doctor Nakarawa had appointed his wife as the Corrections Service Senior Medical Officer, we managed to get comments from the Fiji Medical Association.

The Association raised serious concerns about the alleged conflict of interest by the Commissioner of Corrections, Doctor Nakarawa in the appointment of his wife as a Nurse Practitioner at the organisation on the same day as the termination without cause of the Corrections Senior Medical Officer, Doctor Singh.

Association President, Doctor Alipate Vakamocea also says Doctor Nakarawa’s wife working in the senior medical officer role is outside her scope as a Nurse Practitioner.

Doctor Vakamocea says the Fiji Medical Association is deeply concerned about the decision to terminate the doctor following the meeting with the Commissioner and the doctor’s supervisor regarding a racist email.

The Association says it is concerned that the decision to terminate the doctor’s contract without cause was also personally motivated by the Commissioner of Corrections. Doctor Vakamocea says this termination led to the Commissioner’s wife, to take over as the senior medical officer in charge.

He says from the position of the Fiji Medical Association, doctors are trained to have the breadth of knowledge or skills to treat patients to a safe standard and this is not to the same standard as a Nurse Practitioner.

The FMA President says their position is that Nurse Practitioners have their own scope of practice as outlined by the Fiji Nursing Council which dictates that they cannot replace a doctor.

He says nurse practitioners are not allowed to practice medicine unsupervised and as such, Mrs Nakarawa cannot be allowed to practice in this senior medical role or even act as such.