Acting Chief Medical Advisor of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services Dr Luisa Cikamatana emphasizes the ongoing relevance of COVID-19 as she opened the 15th Directors of Clinical Services Meeting in Nadi today.

Dr Cikamatana states that the pandemic’s enduring impact on the Blue Pacific region and the critical need for strengthened health systems to manage future emergencies.

She stresses that we should not forget the impact of COVID-19.

[Acting Chief Medical Advisor of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services Dr Luisa Cikamatana]

Dr Cikamatana urges attendees to remember the lessons learned from the pandemic and to prioritize investments in health infrastructure to ensure readiness for future health crises.

“And we know we can do this through investing and strengthening our health workforce with focused emphasis on education and training, reviewing the evolving roles of our healthcare workers and within this era of health technology use this to our advantage, to access health services especially to reach the unreached and we need to know who are they.”

Over the next three days, participants at the meeting will engage in comprehensive discussions on a range of pivotal topics affecting clinical services in the region.

These include workforce and education, clinical governance, leadership, emergency preparedness and response, the intersection of climate change and health, universal health coverage, primary care, and research.

Dr Cikamatana adds that she hopes for an open and honest discussion to identify key issues that will positively impact and progress delivery of quality health clinical health services in our countries and regionally.