Minister of Health and Medical Services Dr. Atonio Lalabalavu has acknowledged the challenges associated with the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative. His comments came in response to a question raised in Parliament by independent Opposition Member Jone Usamate regarding the advantages of the PPP model in the healthcare sector.
Dr. Lalabalavu explained that the PPP initiative was introduced amid the Covid-19 pandemic to facilitate efficient medical care. He noted that every agreement carries inherent risks, emphasizing that inadequate preparation can lead to the difficulties currently being faced.
He identified several risks, including a lack of understanding and improper implementation of the PPP concept, insufficient institutional capacity within public sector agencies, donor-driven partnerships that lack sustained momentum, ineffective monitoring, limited sustainable resources, political biases, and difficulties in maintaining the PPP arrangements at specific sites.
Despite these challenges, he pointed out that the collaboration between Healthcare Fiji, a concessionaire for Aspen Medical, has introduced new services that have enhanced the healthcare standards at Lautoka Hospital. Notable improvements include a modern Accident and Medical Emergency (AME) department, advanced radiology equipment, a new operating theatre, and the establishment of a cardiology unit that handles low-risk cardiac cases and open-heart surgery.
Dr. Lalabalavu expressed that while the benefits are evident, the process of learning from these initiatives was not executed effectively. He asserted that any health-related agreements should involve the health sector from the outset.
Additionally, he mentioned other advantages of the PPP model, such as outsourcing laundry, security, and various other services as the need arises. He highlighted that under the free medicine scheme, which involves GPs, approximately 59,000 individuals are currently registered. For the kidney dialysis subsidy scheme, 490 individuals are registered, and the number of participating GPs has increased from 17 in 2021 to 59 to date. Furthermore, security services have been outsourced at four hospitals, and housekeeping services at five hospitals, including CWM, Labasa, Nadi, Sigatoka, and Navosa.