‘Weekly Resignations Concerning’
Dr Jaoji Vulibeci, the medical superintendent of Labasa Hospital, has expressed his concern regarding the increasing number of resignation letters he receives from his staff every week. During a presentation before the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance at Labasa Hospital, Dr Vulibeci stated that the nursing and allied cadres are the most affected due to minimal or no changes in their establishment since the last job evaluation and work needs assessment ten years ago.
He also highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic worsened the situation as overtime payments were not made during this period.
Consequently, most officers are opting to work overseas for better pay and working conditions. “I know that at one stage, we were being informed that the Ministry of Health and Medical Services was the only ministry that continued to amass overtime even with an increase in establishments or staffing,” Dr Vulibeci said.
He also mentioned that training scholarships were not offered due to changing priorities pre and postCOVID, and officers had to pay for their postgraduate studies at Fiji National University, which is not affordable for most.
Some officers who wished to specialise in areas such as cardiac surgery or laboratory technology could not do so because of financial constraints.
Dr Vulibeci expressed his desire to develop healthcare services for the people in the North who cannot afford to travel to Suva for treatment.
However, he acknowledged that achieving the World Health Organisation’s ideal of allocating five per cent of the country’s GDP to the health ministry is challenging due to the country’s financial situation.
In response, Mr Prasad, the Minister for Finance, assured Dr Vulibeci that he is aware of the increasing number of resignations, especially from nurses, and will take note of their issues and requests while formulating the budget.