[Source: Ministry of Health & Medical Services - Fiji/Facebook]

The Health Ministry will engage with communities as much as possible to assist with health concerns, particularly drug-related incidents.

Acting Chief Medical Advisor Luisa Cikamaitana Rauto says that a team will be working with the National Narcotics Bureau on the drug crisis.

Rauto states that they are micro-planning to assess how best they can align with the Counter Narcotics Strategy 2023-2028, which aims to mitigate the impacts of illicit drugs on Fijians.

“And a lot of it is young people who really are looking for hope. And that’s where we come in for prevention, you know, harm reduction. You know, we want to prevent the young people from getting into it, promoting, you know, well-being.”

Acting Chief Medical Advisor Luisa Cikamaitana Rauto

Rauto emphasizes that society should not shy away from issues that affect health in any way.

She adds that young Fijians should be consistently reminded of the need to make healthy choices.

The Acting Chief Medical Supervisor says that while they cannot force people to change, they can encourage them by making them aware of the impacts of drug use on their bodies, families, and society.