The Ministry of Health and Medical Services says that allegations of radiology and pharmacy staff going on strike at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital are false.

In a statement, the Ministry says the CWM Hospital is experiencing a shortage of qualified radiology and pharmacy staff, and the services at the two departments have been temporarily reduced to cater for the current number of staff available in the two departments.

It says the opening hours for the Radiology Department and the Pharmacy Department at CWM Hospital are now from 8.00am to 4.30pm from Monday to Friday.

It further says emergency radiological investigations afterhours can be referred by the hospital to approved private providers when deemed necessary.

The Ministry says further discussion is in progress on the provision of two services over the weekend, and members of the public will be advised of this arrangement once it is finalized.

It says the staff of the two departments at CWM Hospital have not gone on strike, but have adhered to the Ministry of Civil Service’s Circular 14/2024 on Overtime Work and Time-off-in-Lieu for all civil servants which was issued last month,

The Circular limited the compensation of overtime worked to officers on salary Band E and below, and Nurses on salary Band F.

However, the Ministry says it was noted that the absence of allied health staff who take time-off-in-lieu leave was contributing further to the shortage of staff available for services.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services is in consultation with the Ministry of Civil Service which has acknowledged the public health challenges arising from actions taken to streamline implementations of the time-off in lieu and overtime management for all Civil Servants.

Civil Service Permanent Secretary Parmesh Chand reassured that the Ministry is committed to collaborating with the Health Ministry and will be meeting today to discuss strategies for workforce sustainability and continued service delivery to the general public.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services while acknowledging its hardworking staff for their service, is equally mindful of the impact of ongoing staff shortage on patient care, as well as the health and wellbeing of its staff, and is working to ensure that both issues are addressed adequately.

On the long standing shortage of health care workers in the country, the Health Ministry has commenced consultations with its partners and stakeholders including the Ministry of Civil Service, Fiji National University, and the University of Fiji, on sustainable short and long term solutions to address the health workforce needs for Fiji.

The consultations are ongoing and the health workforce plan is anticipated to be finalized and launched in early 2025.