National Federation Party Leader, Professor Biman Prasad says the FijiFirst Government has been living in denial about the rot of public health and medical services in the country resulting in this critically important component of essential and life-saving service in a state of decay.
Professor Prasad made the comment after concerns about the lack of investment to improve infrastructure in the country’s largest hospitals of CWM and Lautoka were raised by the Pacific Island Pacemaker Services Chairwoman Dr Fiona Riddell.
He says the government has not pumped in money and resources, which breaches Section 38 the 2013 Constitution that stipulates the “State must take reasonable measures within its available resources to achieve the progressive realisation of the right of every person to health, and to the conditions and facilities necessary to good health, and to health care services, including reproductive health care”.
Professor Prasad says that during the last 8 years of parliamentary democracy, the NFP had raised issues about many health concerns through End of Week Statements and moved Motions calling for an holistic bipartisan parliamentary inquiry.
The NFP Leader says such an inquiry would have identified the problems and advocated solutions, but these were totally rejected by the FijiFirst government, which labelled the cold hard facts as rubbish.
Professor Prasad says now we have a medical professional, who has been linked to Fiji’s public health and medical services, repeat the sad reality and conclude that there seems to be no money to invest in the improvement of hospitals.
The NFP Leader says what is utterly shameful is that the current Health Minister is a former medical professional who served as a leading surgeon, medical superintendent of the CWM Hospital as well as taught students who have graduated as doctors.
He also says we have the Attorney General make irresponsible statements about the provision of 24-hour heart surgeries and other treatment at Lautoka Hospital in what Professor Prasad says has turned out to be an election gimmick.
Professor Prasad says the AG announced in March it would start in May.
He says four months later, patients diagnosed with heart-related ailments are anxiously waiting to receive treatment with no indication at all about the proposed start date of the life-saving treatment.
The NFP Leader says one of the first priorities of the People’s Alliance-NFP government after the elections will be to hold a holistic parliamentary inquiry and involve medical professionals and experts in delivery of public health and medical services to find sound and sensible solutions to restore the quality of this essential service.
We have sent questions to Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.
Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says they are focused on carrying out infrastructure improvements more efficiently for all health facilities.
Doctor Fong was reacting to concerns raised by Pacific Islands Pacemaker Services Chairwoman, Doctor Fiona Riddell that she has been visiting CWM and Lautoka hospitals for the last two decades and the infrastructure was run down which showed there was no money to spend on improving infrastructure.
He says their strategy includes the setting up of divisional mobile units to supplement facility-based general servicing and maintenance capability and also work with private providers through a process for pre-qualifying contractors and suppliers for each subdivision.
Doctor Fong says they have spoken to cardiologist, Doctor Vijay Kapadia and his visiting team, and they have sorted a plan to deal with their concerns.
He says there are a number of private sector engagements being evolved over the last few months which he has alluded to in his statements over the last few months under the section on Ongoing Medical Recovery Efforts.
Doctor Fong says the Ministry of Health also continues to support the government's initiatives on greater engagement between the public health sector and the private health sector.
He says the engagement of General Practitioners, Private Dental Practitioners, Private Medical Laboratories and Private Ambulance providers to support the Ministry’s services in a public-private partnership arrangement. Doctor Fong says this will greatly assist their ongoing recovery efforts, and further strengthen health care services in Fiji. He says this is in line with the principle of private health sector engagement to complement and enhance public health sector service.
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