The CWM Hospital Ante-Natal Clinic is a leaking disaster and nothing has been done since last Friday according to International Women's Association Fiji President, Judy Compain.
Compain says all of this was happening in the same week when we were seeing repeated media statements about “urgent infrastructure commitments for upgrades and commitments to transforming our health system".
She says last Friday, after inspecting work at the CWM Children’s Hospital, she walked through the CWM Ante-Natal Clinic and was shown a massive leak in the ceiling of the examination rooms.
Compain says buckets, sheets, ladders and water was everywhere.
A concerned Compain says this is an ante-natal clinic for pregnant women, not a construction site.
She contacted the Maintenance Manager, who advised her that he was at Novotel attending the Health Summit, and he was going to get in touch with his maintenance team.
Compain says one of them came in and asked her whether she would be fixing the leak.
She says she had to remind him that she is a volunteer and no, she was not going to do this one.
Compain says as of this afternoon, nothing has been done, the leak remains, the clinic is flooded, and there has been no action, no urgency, and no accountability.
She asks where are women supposed to receive ante-natal care when examination rooms are unsafe and unusable.
Compain stresses that this is an urgent infrastructure failure and a patient safety crisis.
She says she cannot understand how this was not attended to over the weekend to ensure the clinic was safe for our women today.
We have contacted Health Minister, Doctor Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu. He is yet to respond.
