‘Increase won’t fix healthcare’
THE National Federation Party (NFP) claims the $46.8 million increase for the Ministry of Health and Medical Services in the 2020-2021 National Budget will fail to arrest the deteriorating state of health and medical services in Fiji’s public hospitals.
Party leader Prof Biman Prasad claimed the $46.8m increase to the budget, ballooning it to $394m from the $347m allocation in the 2019-2020 budget, also included COVID-19 Contingency Fund of $25m.
“As usual, that allocation like many others is under requisition, but it means that the health budget has increased by only $21.8m if one excludes this allocation of $25m,”
Prof Prasad claimed.
He claimed that this would see the continuation of the pathetic state of facilities such as toilets and washrooms in hospitals.
“We will see the continuation of patients being turned away because some public hospitals have run out of reagents to test blood. And we will see patients being asked to buy basic consumables like bandages and plasters and even bottles for testing urine samples.
“Patients will be told to buy medication from private pharmacies because hospital pharmacies have run out of stock.”
He said the Economy Minister’s announcement during the budget that the partnership with Aspen Australia had been delayed by one year was further indication of the colossal failure of the publicprivate partnership to improve the Lautoka and Ba hospitals.
“This deal, first announced in March 2018 and formalised in November 2018 following the inclusion of Fiji National Provident Fund to have 80 per cent partnership (Aspen 20 per cent) in a new company, never got off the ground. Aspen had more than a year to identify all areas of improvements in the two hospitals but nothing was done. The new Ba Hospital remains a white elephant and totally closed.
“With the minister’s announcement of another delay by one year, this means further deterioration of services at these two hospitals.”