Fiji’s Ministry of Health is facing fresh pressure to staff remote outer-island health posts after Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Colleen Wilson warned that safety concerns and limited resources are making it increasingly difficult to place nurses in isolated communities. Wilson named Moce, Komo, Cikobia and Ono-i-Lau as among the postings that are particularly challenging and said a recent incident in Ono-i-Lau had forced the ministry to withdraw nurses from that location.
“It’s very difficult posting nurses to the outer islands,” Wilson said, underlining the reluctance of many staff to accept remote assignments. The ministry is grappling with multiple retention problems at once: nurses are seeking employment overseas and in the private sector, while others are opting to work for resorts or private hospitals, further depleting the public health workforce available for hard-to-reach areas.
The shortfalls have placed added strain on the nurses who remain in public service. Wilson said many are required to cover extra shifts and rely on overtime to keep services running. While the ministry is recruiting new staff through an internship programme, she cautioned that vacancies persist—especially at facilities serving the most remote islands where living conditions, transport and safety are recurring obstacles.
Wilson described the recent situation in Ono-i-Lau as a reminder of the need for community support for health staff posted in remote locations. “Ono-i-Lau was just a case lately, so we had to bring back the nurses,” she said, urging communities to help keep nurses safe and supported so placements can be sustained. The ministry has not released detailed public information about the Ono-i-Lau incident beyond confirming the temporary withdrawal of staff.
A further complication is the mismatch between where nurses prefer to be posted and where the service most needs them. “They have their own preference where they want to go, but not necessarily where the service needs are,” Wilson said, highlighting the delicate balance the ministry must strike between individual staff wishes and maintaining essential health coverage across Fiji’s islands.
The staffing difficulties come against a backdrop of wider investment in the health sector: the government announced a $540 million allocation to health in the 2024–25 budget, intended to boost hospital functioning and infrastructure. Ministry officials say efforts to fill vacancies and to bolster support for outer-island staff are ongoing, but the latest comments from the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer signal that funding alone will not resolve access gaps unless retention and safety issues in remote postings are also addressed.
The ministry’s next steps, according to Wilson, include continuing targeted recruitment through internships and seeking ways to strengthen safety measures and community engagement in remote locations. Until those measures show results, residents of Fiji’s outer islands may continue to face interruptions to local health services as the ministry works to stabilise its nursing workforce.
Leave a comment