Fiji could soon face a sharp rise in people living with HIV that would place significant strain on health services and government finances, Assistant Minister for Health Penioni Ravunawa warned in Parliament on Wednesday. Speaking during debate on the President’s Address, Ravunawa told MPs projections indicate the number of people living with HIV in Fiji “could soon approach 9,000,” a figure he said would require sustained clinical support and long-term funding.
Ravunawa reminded Parliament that HIV is a chronic condition that demands lifelong treatment and ongoing medical monitoring. “Individuals diagnosed with HIV will now have to take antiretroviral medication every single day for the rest of their lives to keep the viral load low,” he said, stressing that consistent medication and clinical care are essential not only for the health of those living with HIV but also to prevent onward transmission. Maintaining a low viral load, he added, helps reduce the risk that the virus will be passed to others.
The Assistant Minister warned the growing caseload would “induce further burden to our already stretched public health system.” He pointed to the practical implications: every person living with HIV will require continuous treatment, follow-up appointments, laboratory monitoring and clinical support — services that demand staff time, clinic capacity and pharmaceutical supplies. Ravunawa said these needs will not be short-term, noting that the cost of treatment “will run into millions of dollars over the coming decades.”
Ravunawa used the parliamentary platform to argue prevention must be treated as both a health and financial priority. “The cost of this treatment will run into millions of dollars over the coming decades, which is why prevention today is not only a health investment, but also a financial investment in our nation’s future,” he said. His remarks framed prevention programs and early intervention as ways to limit future clinical and budgetary pressures.
Highlighting the cross-cutting nature of the challenge, Ravunawa called for a national, non‑partisan response. “HIV is not a political issue. HIV does not ask which political party you support, which province you come from, or which religion you belong to — it affects everyone,” he told MPs, urging the Government, Opposition, civil society, faith-based organisations, traditional leaders and communities to work together. “When our nation faces a health crisis, unity is not optional; unity is necessary,” he said.
The Assistant Minister’s warning is the latest public acknowledgement from government about the potential scale and long-term impact of HIV on Fiji’s health system and public finances. His projection of up to 9,000 people living with HIV — and the call for a unified national strategy — signals an urgent push toward strengthening prevention, treatment access and sustainable funding arrangements to manage what he described as a looming public health burden.
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