Sainimili Magimagi 
[Source: Ministry of Health & Medical Services - Fiji/Facebook]
The Fiji Centre for Disease Control used to spend over a thousand dollars per batch to send samples overseas for genome sequencing.
Acting Head of Public Health, Dr. Daniel Faktaufon, said this is an expensive and time-consuming process due to the lack of in-country capacity.
He says with the launch of Fiji’s first Pathogen Genomics Lab, that’s about to change.
Dr. Daniel Faktaufon (left) & Dr. Luisa Cikamatana (right) [Source: Ministry of Health & Medical Services – Fiji/Facebook]
Dr. Faktaufon says the new lab will significantly cut costs and turnaround time for testing, allowing results to be delivered in hours instead of weeks.
“Previously, it would take probably more than a week arranging shipment, securing funds, and waiting for overseas reference labs to conduct testing, especially for diseases like COVID-19.”
Fiji Centre for Disease Control staff [Source: Ministry of Health & Medical Services – Fiji/Facebook]
Dr. Faktaufon says the COVID-19 pandemic exposed critical gaps in Fiji’s health system, prompting the World Health Organization, the Peter Doherty Institute, and the Australian Vuvale Partnership to support the establishment of the lab.
He says the new facility not only boosts national response capacity but also allows the CDC to look beyond COVID-19 to track and respond to other infectious diseases like dengue and leptospirosis.
He adds that staff training and capacity-building programs are already underway to strengthen expertise in the field.
With that, he reaffirms that Fiji is now moving in a direction where it’s safe to say it is better prepared to handle future health crises like COVID-19.
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