Patients and visitors to Suva’s Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) have been warned to expect temporary inconveniences as staged upgrade works to the hospital’s East Wing get underway next month, the Ministry of Health has confirmed.
Assistant Minister for Health and Medical Services Penioni Ravunawa said the initial phase of works at the Acute Patient Ward will start on May 11 and run for about six weeks, during which time the hospital will remain fully operational. “These works are being carried out in stages within a fully operational hospital, with measures in place to minimise disruption to patient care and daily hospital activities,” Mr Ravunawa said.
The first phase will cover acute medical and surgical ward areas as well as sluice and storage rooms. Patients and visitors have been told they may encounter construction zones, noise, dust and short-term changes to access around work areas while contractors carry out the remediation and fit-out tasks.
A second phase is scheduled to commence on June 16 and is expected to continue for roughly two months. That stage will focus on bathrooms and toilets, pantry facilities, staff areas and multi-functional rooms in the East Wing, the ministry said. Taken together, the two phases aim to refresh clinical and support spaces used daily by staff and patients at Fiji’s main national referral hospital.
The East Wing works form part of a wider programme of upgrades at CWMH announced earlier this year and last, which includes Australia’s financial assistance for urgent improvements while planning for a new national referral hospital continues. In January, the Australian High Commission reiterated its backing for critical improvements at CWMH and noted collaboration with the Ministry of Health and local contractors to prioritise urgent needs. Ministry officials say the current East Wing schedule dovetails with those broader works and is intended to be carried out without disrupting core services.
Hospital management and the ministry emphasised contingency measures will be in place to protect patient care and safety during the works, though they cautioned that short-term inconveniences are unavoidable. Specifics on alternative access routes, temporary signage or relocated services were not detailed in the ministry’s notice, but patients requiring elective or non-urgent services are being advised to check with hospital staff for any temporary changes to appointments or entry points.
The upgrades are aimed at improving healthcare infrastructure and patient services at CWMH, which handles the majority of complex referrals nationally. With the second phase due to run into mid-August, authorities say the staged approach allows essential clinical activity to continue while targeted improvements are completed.