10 January, 2026, 10:04 am Central - 29°C Rain

No medication from Lautoka and Ba Hospital pharmacies from today

No medication from Lautoka and Ba Hospital pharmacies from today

By Rashika Kumar
01/08/2025
Photo:File

Patients at Lautoka and Ba Hospitals will no longer receive their medication from the hospital pharmacies starting today, and the Health Ministry has not provided a reason for the change.

Lautoka and Ba Hospitals, which is being managed by Health Care Fiji Limited (owned by FNPF and Aspen Medical), has been allocated $117 million in the 2025/2026 National Budget.

The Health Ministry says Fijian outpatient department patients (citizens and residents) who have been seen at the Special Outpatient Clinic, Emergency Department, and the General Outpatient Department at Ba Hospital will obtain their discharge medications from the mobile dispensary stationed at Ba Hospital.

They says Fijian outpatient department patients (citizens and residents) who have been seen at the Special Outpatient Clinic, and the Emergency Department at the Lautoka Hospital will obtain their discharge medications from the Lautoka Health Clinic at Vidilo House.

The Ministry says outpatient department patients from the two hospitals can also obtain their medicines from other Government health centres and hospitals in the Western division.

They say alternatively, patients from the two hospitals who are registered under the Government's Free Medicine Process can also obtain their free medicine from the private pharmacies participating in the Government’s Free Medicine Program.

Questions have been sent to the Ministry of Health and Health Care Fiji.

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