Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete [Source: Fijian Parliament]

The Health Ministry has increased the number of health specialists for outreach services in the rural and maritime areas.

Minister Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete says apart from nurses and doctors working in sub-divisional hospitals, they also have visiting specialists.

The team has recently returned from Kavala Health Centre and the Sigatoka Hospital.

He adds the Makoi Maternity Unit is an example of decentralizing the health services.

“The decentralization of services as meant that our specialists have been able to go to certain areas but also meant that we have been able to establish the Makoi Maternity Unit as a specialist maternity unit that is within the Lami/Nausori corridor, the consultants and senior midwives from CWM are running that unit.”

Dr Waqainabete says the vessel ‘Veivueti’ is helping the Ministry to provide extensive health care services in the maritime areas.

The ministry also has medical teams from overseas such as Loloma Foundation, Sai Foundation and the FENC Fiji that provides medical care to Fijians in the rural areas.