Fiji tops adolescent fertility list
FIJI still ranks the highest adolescent fertility rate in the region with a rate of 45/1000 women aged 15 to 19 years, according to the United Nations (UN) Pacific socioeconomic impact assessment of COVID-19 in Fiji.
The report stated this rate was accompanied with contraceptive prevalence standing at about 44 per cent of the population.
The report revealed that pre-COVID-19, the maternal mortality rate stood at 30/100,000 live births (amounting to a total of five maternal deaths in 2015) and the under-five mortality rate in Fiji stood at 25.6/1000 live births.
“With that, Fiji achieved the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets of both. However, the economic crisis caused by the pandemic may reverse some of this progress, mainly due to losses in household income,” the report stated.
The report also articulated Fiji had seen significant improvements regarding health indicators in previous years.
It highlighted infant mortality had decreased to 19/1000 as of 2015, down by 24 per cent since 1990, while the under-five mortality rate was at 25.6/1000 live births.
The in-depth report also indicated good progress had been made on vaccination coverage, with close to universal coverage being achieved in 2015. The report showed that even though Fiji had very few cases of COVID-19, the pandemic along with the lockdown had indirect effects on people’s health and access to healthcare services. According to the UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) 2020 report, the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown period had led to an estimated overall decline of 20 per cent in use of healthcare services in Fiji during that time.
The report indicated COVID-19 and its impacts on people’s livelihoods could have a real impact on health indicators as well, as they were closely linked to household income. Without a reliable source of income, people were less likely to seek out health care, as they tried to meet their basic needs.
This remains an issue for some segments of society who have suffered job losses and there is a real risk that improvements in health over the past years are at risk of being reversed.