Professor Waqainabete calls for urgent healthcare reforms in Fiji's health crisis

Healthcare policymakers have to recognise that a lot of middle and low-income countries including Fiji and other Pacific Islands had a high death rate from NCDs, reaching critical levels.

While speaking at the Ministry of Health’s 2-day Consultative Workshop on the development of the 10-year National Human Resources for Health Strategic Workforce Planning at Pacific Harbour, University of Fiji’s Umanand Prasad School of Medicine and Health Science, Professor Ifereimi Waqainabete says evidence suggested that the Pacific Islands need more qualified and competent doctors to be available for better health outcomes.

Professor Waqainabete says the health crises of recent times, including rampant NCDs, unexpected outbreaks of dengue fever, increasing reports of HIV and the inevitable contagion such as pandemics and epidemics all pointed to the need to decipher data and statistics accurately to provide an upfront view of the health problems that Fiji will face not only in the immediate future but also in time to come.

He says this reality needed more focus and resources given to initiatives in primary healthcare and more doctors and nurses to be trained as the training itself took many years to complete.

Professor Waqainabete also highlighted that we need to be ready now instead of waiting until a health crisis hits and then we find there are not enough doctors and nurses to fulfil our critical health needs.

He also highlighted that alarmingly, 400 new cases of dengue fever had been reported since the beginning of the year, and there were also reports of extensive diabetes, hypertension, heart illness, renal failure, leptospirosis, typhoid and HIV. Professor Waqainabete adds we need the critical mass of at least 2-4 doctors per 1000 population and all facets of healthcare services must be met, not just primary care but also robust secondary healthcare.

He says this requires well-trained and competent doctors and nurses, as well as allied services, to lead and Fiji’s doctors and nurses were needed not only in Fiji but the region and globally.

He adds hence the nation could not afford to cut back on the number of medical students that it sponsored.

Professor waqainabete is also a professor of surgery and convenor of Year 6 MBBS students and help in drafting policies for Fiji and the region.