Assistant Minister for Health & Medical Services Penioni Ravunawa has made a call to the Commonwealth on behalf of the Fijian Government to leverage partnerships with global health agencies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Pacific Community (SPC) to strengthen NCD prevention, mental health support and HIV response strategies.
Ravunawa made the call during the 37th Commonwealth Health Ministers' Meeting that was held in Geneva, as he indicated Fiji's interventions on accelerating progress on certain health issues.
With its theme of 'Investing in Health: Sustainable Financing for an Equitable Commonwealth', Ravunawa supported the theme, saying Fiji recognises that sustainable health financing is critical for strengthening health systems, tackling NCDs and addressing mental health challenges.
To accelerate this progress, Ravunawa has also called on the Commonwealth to facilitate technical assistance for early detection and intervention programmes, ensuring effective healthcare delivery across Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
He says they will also need to promote digital health innovations to expand access to healthcare for remote and vulnerable populations.
He adds that advocating for increased investment in SIDS health resilience, mobilising support from development partners such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Global Fund, will be needed.
