Outreach team ensures access to basic health services
ALUMITA Lomoci of Keteira village, Moala in Lau was moved to tears as she received a pair of reading glasses from the Ministry of Health outreach team who visited their village earlier this month.
The 53-year-old said she would sometimes experience short-sightedness and difficulty in reading her Bible during her prayer time every morning.
This was a part of Government’s bid to ensure that no Fijian was left behind in accessing basic health services, whereby the Ministry of Health has deployed close to 40 medical officials to the Lakeba Medical Sub-Division.
The outreach programme included dental, reproductive health, physiotherapy, eye and ear clinics, pharmaceutical services, peer education, general health and a team conducting maintenance on the health facilities.
The mother of five said that the visit by the health officials assured them that they were not forgotten, considering their geographical location and the difficulty in transportation.
“This visit is truly a blessing, and we had anticipated their arrival knowing that some of the services they were bringing were not available on the island,” Ms Lomoci said.
She said the health services on the island were quite limited, and most times they had to travel to Viti Levu to get the medical attention they needed.
“Cost of travelling and staying in Suva is a key barrier, as one-way costs more than $100 and living in Suva even for a week is not cheap,” Ms Lomoci said.
“Apart from this, for most women, our priority is our families especially our children, and unless it is an emergency, most of us choose to stay.
“I can say that I am the most thankful, these glasses have truly given me a new lease of life, assisting my vision and ensuring normalcy in my day to day living.
“We would like to thank the Coalition Government for reaching out to our communities and bringing these services right at our doorsteps, understanding the barriers that we face.”