Praneeta Prakash 
[File Photo]
The Ministry of Health has acknowledged the recent concerns raised by the Fiji Nursing Association and has reaffirmed its commitment to addressing the issues highlighted on behalf of the nurses.
In a statement, the Ministry confirms that addressing all the salary adjustments that the government has approved for nurses working in the Ministry has taken time, and this has been necessary to ensure that the adjustments are done correctly and fairly for all eligible nurses.
It says the consultations between officials from the Association and the Ministry over the past few weeks have been instrumental in verifying the employment histories of nurses, thereby facilitating the accurate implementation of the approved salary adjustments.
[File Photo]
A meeting was also held between representatives of the Fiji Nursing Association and Ministry officials, which provided further clarity on the progress made and the pending salary adjustments.
The Ministry anticipates that all salary adjustments will be completed by the end of this month.
In response to allegations of bias and misconduct towards nurses, the Ministry assured that such issues would be addressed through the established Civil Service Disciplinary and Grievance Procedure, as well as the Open Merit Recruitment System processes.
The Ministry is conducting an orientation program for 264 new nurses, and upon completion of this program, the new nurses will assume their duties at various health facilities across the country.
This influx of new healthcare professionals is expected to provide much-needed relief to existing nursing staff.
The Ministry says another group of new nurses is anticipated to join the workforce in November.
