The Ministry of Health has introduced a temporary 12-hour shift roster for nurses at the Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital as an emergency response to persistent staffing shortages, Assistant Minister for Health Penioni Ravunawa confirmed. The new arrangement, which was implemented from April 27, schedules nurses to work three 12-hour shifts each week — a total of 36 hours — while continuing to receive full pay.
Ravunawa said the decision was driven by the need to maintain essential services at Fiji's largest hospital amid a shortfall of clinical staff. He acknowledged mounting public criticism of the change but stressed it is strictly temporary and will be reviewed in September when a new cohort of 345 nursing interns are expected to complete their training and begin work at health facilities across the country.
“The schedule allows enough time for recovery between shifts,” Ravunawa said, defending the longer shift length. “They have enough time to rest, and to be with their families. To re‑energise and then go back to see their patients.” He added that the adjustment does not increase nurses’ overall workload, but is intended to concentrate hours into fewer days to preserve continuity of care while rostering gaps are addressed.
The Ministry has framed the roster as an interim operational measure to bridge the gap until the incoming interns are available to supplement staffing. Ravunawa emphasised the long lead times in producing qualified nurses, noting that “to train nurses is not easy. It takes three to five years to be able to get nurses to be able to work on their own,” underlining why rapid recruitment is not a simple solution to the current shortages.
Public concern has focused on the safety, fatigue and work–life balance implications of prolonged shifts. In response, Ravunawa pointed to the roster’s built‑in recovery periods and reiterated the government’s commitment to review the system when the new graduates enter the workforce. The September review is expected to determine whether the 12‑hour, three‑day model will be scaled back, adjusted or discontinued as staffing levels improve.
Health officials say the temporary shift change is part of a broader effort to maintain uninterrupted patient services at CWM Hospital while the Ministry pursues longer‑term staffing solutions, including the planned intake of nursing interns and ongoing training programmes. For now, the 12‑hour shifts represent the latest development in the Ministry’s short‑term response to workforce pressures in Fiji’s public health sector.