Fiji’s healthcare system is under growing strain as rising treatment costs and the complexity of patients’ conditions make standard procedures riskier and more expensive, MIOT International’s managing director Dr Prithvi Mohandas warns.
Dr Mohandas said many patients present with multiple underlying conditions — including diabetes, kidney disease and obesity — that complicate routine surgeries and lengthen recovery times. “In Fiji you may have patients… they’re overweight, maybe they’re diabetic and therefore they can’t really have a standard procedure done because it’s risky. The second scenario in Fiji is: how expensive is it going to be? Because they have to stay, and maybe the recovery will take a long time,” he said, noting that longer hospital stays add substantially to out-of-pocket costs.
Context and pressures
– Health experts and recent reports point to a heavy non-communicable disease (NCD) burden in Fiji. Diabetes complications are a major concern; some reports indicate about three diabetes-related amputations occur daily in major hospitals.
– Public health capacity is also stretched: the Fiji Medical Association has warned of a shortfall of around 2,000 hospital beds, while equipment failures and limited theatre capacity at key hospitals have constrained elective surgeries.
– The cumulative effect of NCDs, bed shortages and aging facilities places both clinical and financial pressure on patients and the health system, with some analyses estimating significant national economic costs from the NCD burden.
Plans to build local capacity
MIOT says it is committed to expanding services in Fiji to reduce the need for patients to travel overseas for specialised care. Over the next three years, the organisation plans to focus on improving service quality and infrastructure, aligning with wider initiatives across government and private hospitals aimed at positioning Fiji as a medical tourism hub for the Pacific.
How comorbidities drive cost and risk
Patients with diabetes, obesity or chronic kidney disease often face higher surgical risks (infection, poor wound healing, cardiovascular issues) and require more intensive perioperative care. Clinically, that translates to longer inpatient stays, more follow-up visits and greater use of diagnostics and support services — all of which increase the total cost of treatment.
Additional comments and constructive suggestions
– Strengthen primary care and preventive programs targeting diabetes, hypertension and obesity to reduce the number of complex cases requiring advanced surgery.
– Invest in expanding bed capacity and maintaining essential diagnostic equipment (CT scanners, operating theatres) to avoid costly outsourcing and backlogs.
– Prioritise workforce training in specialised fields and perioperative care to improve outcomes for high-risk patients.
– Encourage broader uptake of medical insurance and employer-covered health plans to reduce catastrophic out-of-pocket costs and support private-sector growth.
– Leverage international partnerships and the medical tourism strategy to fund facility upgrades while ensuring local access remains affordable.
Short summary
MIOT International highlights the twin challenges in Fiji’s health system: complex patient profiles driven by NCDs that increase clinical risk and longer recoveries, and the financial burden those factors place on patients. MIOT aims to expand local services over three years to reduce overseas referrals and support Fiji’s ambitions as a Pacific medical tourism centre.
Hopeful outlook
While Fiji faces significant challenges, coordinated investment in preventive care, facility upgrades, workforce development and public–private partnerships can both reduce costs for patients and build capacity for advanced care locally. Expanding specialised services at home would improve outcomes for high-risk patients and create opportunities for the country to attract regional medical travellers, benefiting health and the economy simultaneously.
Leave a comment