Six buildings at the Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital have been deemed “structurally unsafe and below World Health Organization standards” and require demolition or reconstruction, while seven buildings are “structurally safe but need immediate repairs.”
These findings come from an engineering assessment conducted in 2019, revealed in documents from RPS Group, a consulting and engineering services company contracted by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to manage the Fiji Program Support Facility (FPSF).
An Expression of Interest (EOI) invitation dated April 2, 2024, highlighted the significant deterioration of Fiji’s “largest and most important healthcare facility.” No major renovation work has been carried out since the 2019 assessment. According to the document, CWM Hospital in Suva spans 14 buildings, accommodates 535 beds, 31 wards, and 8 operating theaters. In 2022, the hospital managed 26,118 admissions, 6,771 births, and 316,446 outpatient visits, though these figures may be underreported.
The World Bank’s aide memoire from October 2023 reported that many construction materials at the hospital are deteriorating due to natural hazards like tropical cyclones, humidity, droughts, and seismic activity. The older buildings also lack consistent maintenance, which impacts healthcare service delivery and operational efficiency.
For the past two decades, CWM Hospital has been operating without a comprehensive Master Plan or a national Clinical Services Plan. As a result, data regarding hospital usage is unreliable for managing current and future healthcare requirements. This also affects the ability to forecast demographic changes and anticipate disease trends.
The Australian Government intervened to assist Fiji following a formal request in November last year by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS). Australia’s High Commissioner to Fiji, Ewen McDonald, revealed that a company to lead the work will be announced soon, highlighting the importance of developing an infrastructure master plan.
Australia previously announced $14.7 million in support for the CWMH master plan as part of an $87 million funding package under the upgraded Vuvale Partnership program.