While Fiji has made important achievements including almost halving its child mortality rate between 1975 and 2020, and low out-of-pocket spending for patients, its health system faces serious challenges.

Burdened by catastrophic rates of NCDs, ailing healthcare infrastructure, and an aging population, Fiji’s health sector is not structured or equipped to prevent and manage its diseases.

This has been highlighted in a new World Bank report — Fiji Health Sector Review, “Mo Bulabula, ka Bula Balavu” (Wishing You a Healthy Life and Long Life).

The report suggests that Fiji invest in a more robust and efficient health system.

While launching the report, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says the study was a significant step in understanding the challenges Fiji currently faces in healthcare.

Rabuka says the review will also help identify opportunities to build a health system that delivers care with compassion, and high standards.

“What necessitated the review? For some years now, the successive governments of Fiji have been voicing their and echoing the people’s concerns about not only the quality of health of the population, but also the quality of healthcare, especially publicly funded and available to the public of Fiji.”

Rabuka says Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Professor Biman Prasad had requested the government to approve a review to help them uplift the standards of the healthcare sector in Fiji.

The report highlights that Fiji is struggling with a non-communicable disease crisis and weak health outcomes that threaten the well-being of its people.

Annually Fiji spends approximately $591m on NCDs.

Rabuka says these challenges are compounded by the lack of investment in the primary healthcare system which hinders Fiji’s ability to provide early prevention and effective treatment.

The Prime Minister stresses that tailored solutions must be informed by evidence, data and good global practices.

“It is with those in mind that our collaboration with the World Bank resulted in the undertaking of this critical health sector review. The findings of the Fiji Health Sector Review and everything about it are data-driven and confirm that we face major economic and public health challenges.”

Rabuka says the report will help them identify the underperforming segments of the health sector, which once addressed at scale will allow Fiji to pivot towards desirable and better healthcare services.