Oceania Hospital’s chief executive has urged an urgent overhaul of Fiji’s more than four-decade-old Private Hospitals Act, saying the country’s regulatory framework is no longer fit for purpose as private care expands into advanced surgery and digital health. David Qumivutia made the call during Oceania Hospital Pte Ltd’s 25th anniversary event at the Tanoa Plaza in Suva last Friday, describing the Act — first written in September 1979 — as outdated and a growing operational, clinical and reputational risk.
Qumivutia said a modernised Private Hospitals Act should start with clearer definitions and facility classifications that reflect contemporary service models, from day-surgery suites to tertiary-level private wards. He listed a suite of specific reforms, including stronger licensing and clinical governance standards, formal regulation of digital health and emerging technologies, workforce competency and credentialing frameworks, explicit patient rights and safety protections, and tougher enforcement mechanisms. He also called for alignment with broader national health system reforms to ensure the private sector can partner effectively with public services.
“Technology is really outdated now so we need to change that to be able to keep in step with the changes that are evolving right now,” Qumivutia told this newspaper. He noted that telemedicine and many specialty services did not exist when the legislation was drafted in 1979 and said last year’s discussions in various forums had signalled an appetite for reform but now required a concerted, line-by-line review of the statute.
Positioning the move as both a health and economic priority, Qumivutia said legislative change would enable private hospitals to expand specialist services, reduce offshore medical referrals and contribute more meaningfully to national and regional GDP through employment, capital investment and service delivery. “We do not wish to simply exist after 25 years. We want to grow, innovate, and remain competitive – locally and regionally,” he said, arguing that a forward-looking regulatory environment is essential for safety and competitiveness.
The appeal from Fiji’s largest private hospital comes amid wider discussions about the country’s health infrastructure. Government officials have acknowledged ongoing challenges in public hospitals and signalled work with partners on assessments and renovations, including the Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital. Qumivutia framed private sector regulatory reform as complementary to those public investments, enabling private providers to act as partners to the public system and to shoulder some tertiary and specialised care demand.
As the latest development in an evolving healthcare debate, Oceania’s call shifts focus to regulatory reform rather than infrastructure alone. Qumivutia said stakeholders should now move from preliminary conversations to a formal review process: “We need to have some concerted effort to have a look at the Act, start going through with a fine-tooth comb, have a look at it line by line and see what’s relevant, what’s not relevant.” If acted on, the proposed changes would set a new regulatory baseline for private hospitals and for how digital and specialist services are governed in Fiji.
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