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

Fiji is among the first countries in the world to adopt the World Health Organization’s Global Guidance for Climate Resilient and Environmentally Sustainable Health Care Facilities.

Health Minister Dr. Atonio Lalabalavu highlighted this achievement during a high-level panel discussion at the WHO Regional Committee Meeting in Manila, Philippines.

Dr. Lalabalavu says his ministry has developed and launched its own National Guidelines for Climate Resilient and Environmentally Sustainable Health Care Facilities.

He adds these guidelines have been utilized to conduct a Climate Hazard and Vulnerability Assessment of healthcare facilities under the Ministry’s purview.

“And as such it has guided Fiji’s ongoing commitment to green health care and has been used to do a comprehensive climate hazard and vulnerability assessment of nearly 250 plus of our health facilities.”

Dr. Lalabalavu says they have prioritized the recommendations of the report by WHO and have been able to conduct urgent health infrastructure improvements at a number of health facilities.

“That is the strategy we have used right now and divided it further down again into wash improvement, hand washing stations, health facility waste management, training capacity building for health workers and again generally infrastructure improvement works.”

The KOICA-funded WHO SHAPE project in Fiji has identified twenty healthcare facilities at risk that require infrastructural improvements to enhance flood resistance and strengthen backup water supply systems for clean water access during disasters.