Healthcare delivery ‘in serious trouble’
Source: Fijitimes 22 April, 2023
Healthcare delivery ‘in serious trouble’

One of Fiji’s leading orthopedic surgeons says healthcare delivery in the country is “in serious trouble”.

Dr Eddie McCaig said the issues were obvious while speaking at the National Economic Summit (NES) third plenary session on Thursday which focused on universal coverage and basic health care.

“It doesn’t take a specialist to tell us that, we see it in the papers and we see it from our relatives each day,” he said.

“The way we treat patients has dramatically changed over the last few years, again because of socio-economic considerations.

“We do not have the resources to provide all the care that is promoted by providers and desired and demanded by the public, who increasingly with travel, tourism and relatives abroad, have an unrealistic expectation of our system.

“They all expect a Shortland Street type of hospital.”

Dr McCaig said no public health system in the world today could adequately look after its citizens as the cost was too much.

However, he acknowledged that the public sector had always received help from the private sector — whether it be through good Samaritans, donors or free medical services provided by overseas experts like those from Shriners Hospital and Sai Prema Foundation among others.

In addition, Dr McCaig said visiting surgical teams from overseas also carried out procedures such as shoulder, hand, plastic, cardiac and knee surgeries.

“With the failing infrastructure, we’ve all seen the photos of CWM, Savusavu and Levuka hospitals.

“We also have to thank the public, people who got into their shorts and shirts etcetera and have cleaned up CWM and Levuka and continued to clean up Savusavu.”