Felix Chaudhary 
[File Photo]
A government team looking into climate vulnerabilities has found that more than 90 percent of healthcare facilities in the Central and Western Divisions have significant climate damage.
Government formed the Taskforce on the Relocation and Displacement of Communities Vulnerable to the Impacts of Climate Change to look into internal displacement of people as a result of climate disasters.
The ensuing Climate Hazards and Vulnerability Assessment (CHVA) report found that more than 90 percent of healthcare facilities in the Central and Western Division were aging (a large proportion were built in the early 1900s) and had extreme, unrepaired damage from climate events.
The report also highlighted that between 70 and 80 percent of facilities experienced flooding of roads and bridges preventing access to healthcare facilities during extreme weather events.
To put things in perspective, the Fiji Health Adaptation Plan which used the CHVA report findings, said Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Winston in 2016 provided a clear demonstration of the vulnerability of Fiji’s health infrastructure to the impacts of extreme climate events.
A total of 88 healthcare facilities were either damaged or completely destroyed, with the cost of direct damage estimated at $13.9 million, excluding the cost of secondary implications on human health such as food and nutritional security, and water safety and security. The estimated cost of recovery and reconstruction was $30.9 million.
