Some women in the Northern Division are missing hospital appointments because they cannot afford bus fares, Labasa Hospital’s oncology nursing unit manager says, but a new partnership between the Ministry of Health and the Fiji Cancer Society is stepping in to fill critical gaps. Speaking during a mini outreach event held in Banisucu, Labasa, for International Women’s Day, Mereoni Korovavala described the assistance as “crucial” for patients who otherwise would struggle to access timely treatment.
Korovavala said the Fiji Cancer Society has been providing targeted support where ministry resources are stretched or delayed, particularly for patients from remote villages who must travel long distances to Labasa for check-ups, surgical clinics and diagnostic appointments. “Some patients travel long distances to come to the hospital for check-up or surgical clinics, so the support from the (Fiji) Cancer Society makes a big difference,” she said, noting that the society covers transport expenses and payments for CT scans in many cases.
The collaboration, Korovavala added, helps ensure patients are seen on schedule and eases the financial strain on families battling cancer. For patients who cannot meet the costs of travel or required imaging, she said the support can mean the difference between receiving timely care and missing critical appointments. “The collaboration have helped many patients access treatment that might otherwise be difficult to afford,” she told the outreach audience.
The outreach in Banisucu aimed to combine awareness-raising for women’s health with practical support for oncology patients. While the Ministry of Health provides core clinical services across Fiji’s major hospitals, Ministry officials have acknowledged that specialised treatments such as radiotherapy remain under development and require significant investment. Recent government statements have said there are no plans to build a standalone national cancer hospital, instead pursuing public-private partnerships to introduce services like radiotherapy at sites such as Lautoka and Ba.
In that context, Korovavala described the Fiji Cancer Society’s role as a complementary one: stepping in for immediate, patient-centred needs while the health system works on longer-term infrastructure and service expansions. The society’s assistance with transport and CT scan payments is particularly important in the Northern Division, where geographic dispersion and limited local services increase both travel distances and out-of-pocket costs for rural patients.
Health advocates say such partnerships help mitigate the inequities that can arise when specialised care is concentrated in urban centres. By covering logistics and diagnostic costs, non-governmental support can reduce delays that worsen prognoses and increase downstream treatment costs. Korovavala’s comments put a spotlight on the day-to-day barriers patients face and on how practical, targeted aid can relieve immediate burdens while broader cancer-care plans proceed.
The outreach in Banisucu underlined the immediate impact of that support and the ongoing need for coordinated action between government services and community organisations to ensure access to cancer care across Fiji’s divisions.
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