A project funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency and implemented by the World Health Organization has identified 20 healthcare facilities in Fiji that require urgent improvements.
During the WHO’s Western Pacific Regional Meeting in Manila, Philippines, Health Minister Dr. Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu emphasized the findings of the KOICA-funded Strengthening Health Adaptation Project: Responding to Climate Change in Fiji (SHAPE project), which pinpointed these at-risk facilities.
Dr. Lalabalavu noted that infrastructural enhancements are essential to ensure that these facilities are resistant to flooding, can withstand extreme weather, and have reliable backup water supply systems to guarantee access to clean water during emergencies.
The Health Minister also expressed gratitude for WHO’s assistance in formulating Fiji’s Primary Health Care Roadmap, which is expected to be finalized by the end of the year, as well as the ministry’s 10-year Health Workforce Development Plan.
He encouraged health partners and donor organizations to contribute to Fiji’s initiatives aimed at enhancing health services and infrastructure.
Additionally, Dr. Lalabalavu met with New Zealand’s Health Minister Shane Reti to discuss Fiji’s ongoing strategies to address the non-communicable disease crisis, the increasing issue of illicit drug use, the recent spike in HIV cases, and the country’s national response to the HIV surge.