The Government is embarking on a major $500 million health project, namely Pacific Healthy Islands Transformation Project with the support of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and OPEC Fund.
While announcing a $647 million allocation to the health sector in the next budget, Minister for Finance, Esrom Immanuel says $477 million is provided to the Ministry of Health to fund the salaries of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals, procurement of medicines and medical supplies, and purchase of biomedical equipment.
The Minister says they will establish Fiji’s first radiotherapy and cancer treatment centre at CWM Hospital.
Construction will begin in the year ahead, with completion over the following years.
The facility will house linear accelerator technology and chemotherapy capacity to treat up to 60 patients daily.
This will reduce reliance on overseas referrals and provide lifesaving opportunity to our people.
The Government will expand acute care capacity at CWM Hospital, adding 56 new beds for adults and children. This will address the persistent congestion and connect maternity services to operating theatres, eliminating over time the current reliance on container walkways.
Within the next year, 17 priority facilities for primary health care, across urban, rural and maritime areas, including Valelevu, Nuffield, Balevuto, Kabara, Tukavesi, Lami, and Nausori, will move through design, procurement and early works, with selected sites already beginning upgrades.
Immanuel says keeping the CWM Hospital operational and safe remains a critical priority until the new national tertiary hospital is ready.
The Government of Australia is supporting the master planning for the new national tertiary hospital in Valelevu.
Australia has committed AUD$10 million for urgent priority infrastructure upgrades at the existing CWM Hospital. The first tranche of works includes roofing and drainage remediation across key hospital buildings, installation of a new 200,000-litre potable water storage system with filtration, UV treatment and pumping, remediation of maternity sewer infrastructure and refurbishment of the Acute Patient Ward.
$120 million is provided for the ongoing operations and maintenance costs to Health Care Fiji for the Lautoka and Ba Hospitals.
The Government of India is also in advanced stages for the commencement of the construction of a 100-bed Super Specialty Hospital in Nasinu. Land acquisition is now complete, while detailed design and tender process is currently underway. Construction is expected to start early next year.
HIV response is allocated $12 million.
The Minister says the HIV issue has become a major threat to our people, and an urgent and decisive response is required to fight this crisis. With the support of Government of Australia, New Zealand and other development partners, Government has put together a multipronged response strategy focused on fighting drug use (which is lead cause of the HIV problem), raising national awareness, procuring HIV medicine, investing in identification and treatment, investing in required healthcare skills and overall preventative measures.
https://www.fijivillage.com/indepth/2026-2027-national-budget-aca663/
https://www.fijivillage.com/indepth/2026-2027-national-budget-aca663/
