The Fiji Medical Association (FMA) has expressed concerns regarding the quality of doctors emerging from the country’s internship programs. This issue was highlighted during the FMA’s annual conference held at the Hilton Fiji Beach Resort & Spa over the weekend.
In a presentation titled “The Fiji Medical Internship Program – FMA’s Wide Consultation,” executive council member Dr. Sailosi Ratumaitavuki outlined the current two-year medical internship program in Fiji. He indicated that the consultation aimed to address increasing worries from stakeholders and the medical community.
Medical professionals conveyed their concerns about the preparedness of graduates entering the internship program and raised issues related to supervision, noting the disparity between the number of interns and the limited supervisory resources available. There were also worries about insufficient clinical exposure, with interns facing reduced caseloads due to overcrowded rotations and outdated infrastructure that cannot adequately accommodate the rising number of interns and the overall population.
These challenges were said to be affecting the overall quality of doctors being trained. Dr. Ratumaitavuki mentioned that the FMA collaborated with a variety of stakeholders, including medical schools, health facility management, supervisors such as Medical Officers and consultants, interns, and medical students.
The consultation process included focus groups, surveys, and interviews, along with data collection from the Health Ministry and the FMDC Standards Committee. Dr. Ratumaitavuki noted that similar issues were consistently reported across all consultations and medical divisions in the central, eastern, northern, and western regions of Fiji.