Peceli Naviticoko 
The ability to inform the public responsibly without panicking during an outbreak or health crisis remains one of the major challenges for the Health Ministry.
This has been admitted by the Permanent Secretary for Health Doctor James Fong while officiating during the opening ceremony for the Capacity Building Training for Disease Surveillance and Responses.
He says better preparation is key when responding to any unexpected spread of infections and other health crises in the country, and the Ministry aspires to activate global public cooperation systems, working hand-in-hand with international partners, to respond effectively to health emergencies.
“Much as we are seeing today, KOICA is bringing in an international partner to work with us and bringing in their consultants to work with us to help us strengthen our public health system. Through training, we will engage in learning the early detection system and operation methods for crisis situations.”
Permanent Secretary for Health Doctor James Fong.
Dr Fong says integrated monitoring and information analysis of infectious diseases will be the core of the preparedness efforts, ensuring that the ministry is equipped to detect and respond promptly to potential outbreaks.
KOICA Fiji Director Kapchae Rae says the training will be a platform to allow open discussion and the opportunity to ensure public health security through improving capacity to prepare for and respond to public health crises.
Twenty participants from the Health Ministry are part of the five-day capacity-building training for Disease surveillance and response, which is organized by KOICA and Yeungnam University and will end on August 4.
