People with concerns on health services in Fiji encouraged to call MOH helpline

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services says people should contact them on their 157 helpline if they have concerns about the services offered at any health facility in the country.

Permanent Secretary for Health Phillip Davies says concerns about the services rendered at health facilities raised through the media may be considered for investigation but may also be without the background information and other details.

When questioned by Fijivillage if the Health Ministry would conduct a full investigation if the media is provided with the necessary information, Davies stressed that there might be information that patients would not wish to share with the media and ideally patients should talk to the doctor or nurse that is treating them.

Fijivillage has raised this question after the Ministry had said that they will look into a matter if the patient wishes to register his concerns with the relevant supervisory staff or use the Health Customer Care feedback line on 157.

This is a case of a 64-year-old man, Vijay Singh who has alleged that he was mistreated by a doctor at CWM Hospital.

Singh told Fijivillage that on Wednesday he went to Nausori Health Centre to get an x-ray done to see if the cast on his leg can be removed.

After the x-ray, he was advised to go to CWM Hospital as the Nausori Health Centre did not have the machine to cut the cast.

He alleges that when he arrived at CWM Hospital, the doctor got angry at him and told him that the people at Nausori Health Centre are not doing their job and are sending their patients to CWM.

He claims he was then told by the doctor that they do not have the machine to cut the cast.

Singh claims he was then told that the machine was there and he alleges that the doctor told him that he will cut his leg.

The man alleges that while the cast was being cut, he told the doctor that he was feeling pains to which the doctor replied that the man was lying.

Singh claims that when he told the doctor that he will go to the media, the doctor then apologized to him.

He has also confirmed that he filed the complaint with the Health Ministry on Wednesday.