The Health Ministry aims to forge new strategic partnerships with private hospitals to alleviate their operational burdens.

Permanent Secretary for Health Dr. Jemesa Tudravu states that while collaborative efforts have initially targeted areas such as surgeries and radiology, the Ministry is actively exploring other critical areas requiring enhancement.

Dr. Tudravu also elaborated on the logistical aspects of implementing and optimizing these collaborative agreements.

“So looking at, okay, if this is going to happen, what other type of cases are we going to bring? What is the capacity of a facility like this? What they can and cannot do? Who are the specialists here? And what is their ability to be able to handle cases and look after cases? So those are details that we need to go through. As I said, we need to make sure that it is a safe venture, safe for the patients, safe for the hospitals, but also safe for the Ministry of Health.”

Dr Tudravu adds this initiative aims to foster a cohesive healthcare ecosystem towards meeting the diverse and growing healthcare needs of the population.

Recently, the Ministry of Health also signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Oceania Hospitals whereby Oceania Hospitals has committed to leveraging its facilities to cater to patients in urgent need of medical care.