More and more women in Fiji are able to access family planning services, yet there is still only one nurse or midwife for every 900 women of reproductive age.
This has been highlighted by United Nations Populations Fund Executive Director, Doctor Natalia Kanem following a discussion with Deputy Prime Minister, Professor Biman Prasad, Minister for Lands Filimoni Vosarogo, Minister for Disaster Management Sakiasi Ditoka, Assistant Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and senior government officials.
She says over 90 percent of these health service workers are concentrated in the urban areas on the main islands so access is still something they need to attend to which includes access to quality, maternal health care.
She says UNFPA has joined the United Nations to support the government's efforts and together they are promoting the quality of midwifery services, including supporting training activities, and providing equipment at Makoi Maternity Unit.
Dr. Kanem is in the country with Danish Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth where they also visited Nabavatu Village in Vanua Levu yesterday.
Villagers have been displaced since TC Ana more than two years ago and have been living at the village Assemblies of God Church compound.
While launching the UNFPA State of World Population 2023 report titled 8 Billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities, Dr. Kanem says population is not about numbers, it's about people.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister, Professor Biman Prasad says they believe that a good national population policy linked to very specific focus on development in different areas can give them a much better understanding of how they can design and implement good policies.
He says as a government, they have decided, as a philosophy that they want to engage more deeply and meaningfully with all sectors of the population, engaging particularly with non governmental organisations and CSOs, because they believe that they also do a lot of good work out in the community.
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