Staff going on strike at CWM are false - MOH

The Ministry of Health wishes to inform members of the public that allegations of Radiology and Pharmacy staff going on strike at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital are false.

They say the CWM Hospital is experiencing a shortage of qualified radiology and pharmacy staff, and the services at the two departments have been temporarily reduced to cater for the current number of staff available in the two departments.

The Ministry says the opening hours for the Radiology Department and the Pharmacy Department at CWM Hospital are now from 8:00am to 4:30pm from Monday to Friday.

They say in addition, emergency radiological investigations afterhours can be referred by the hospital to approved private providers when deemed necessary. 

The Ministry says further discussion is in progress on the provision of two services over the weekend, and members of the public will be advised of this arrangement once it is finalised.

They say the staff of the two departments at CWM have not gone on strike, but have adhered to the Ministry of Civil Service’s Circular on Overtime Work and Time-off-in-Lieu (TOIL) for all civil servants which was issued on 1st October 2024. 

The Ministry says the Circular limited the compensation of Overtime worked to officers on salary Band E and below, and Nurses on salary Band F. 

They say however, it was noted that the absence of Allied Health staff who take Time Off In Lieu was contributing further to the shortage of staff available for services.

The Ministry of Health is in consultation with the Ministry of Civil Service which has acknowledged the public health challenges arising from actions taken to streamline implementations of the Time-Off in Lieu and Overtime management for all Civil Servants.

Permanent Secretary for Civil Service Parmesh Chand reassured that the Ministry is committed to collaborating with the Ministry of Health and will be meeting tomorrow to discuss strategies for workforce sustainability and continued service delivery to the general public. 

The Ministry of Health while acknowledging its hardworking staff for their service, is equally mindful of the impact of ongoing staff shortage on patient care, as well as the health and wellbeing of its staff, and is working to ensure that both issues are addressed adequately. 

They say on the long standing shortage of Health Care Workers in the country, the Health Ministry has commenced consultations with its partners and stakeholders including the Ministry of Civil Service, and the two health training universities in Fiji – the Fiji National University, and the University of Fiji, on sustainable short and long term solutions to address the health workforce needs for Fiji.

The Ministry of Health says consultations are ongoing and the health workforce plan is anticipated to be finalized and launched in early 2025.