[Photo Credit: Ministry of Finance, Fiji/ Facebook]

Healthcare is once again expected to be prioritised in the 2025/2026 National Budget, with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad warning that rising non-communicable diseases among the working-age population are putting the country’s economic future at risk.

Professor Biman Prasad highlighted this while launching the Pacific Specialist Healthcare Foundation in Nadi last night.

He says each year, young highly educated people at the helm of their careers between the ages of 30 to 55 dying prematurely due to NCDs.

He says this is the most productive age group in any economy.

[Photo Credit: Ministry of Finance, Fiji/ Facebook]

The Finance Minister cautions that country’s productivity and economy is under threat if it loses more of productive population to NCDs.

He adds that building a healthy population is fundamental to economic growth.

Professor Prasad adds that they will prioritising funding in the national budget to resourcing primary and preventative health care, curative services, specialised services and public health services and ensuring the timely availability of medical products.

They will also look at efforts to improve service delivery by reducing patient waiting time, enhancing hospital services, increasing the number of hospital beds and improving ambulance services.

Professor Prasad, like the Pacific Specialist Healthcare, the government has an obligation to provide public health services to the people, but as a public good.

He says over the past two years, they have been consistently setting aside funds to renovate rural public health infrastructure, and more resources will be required for this purpose in years to come.

He says they are committed to improving the standard of health care facilities and taking care of the welfare of our doctors and nurses, as this will only contribute to improving the quality of health services that people deserve.

Professor Prasad stresses that they will also review restrictions on importing drugs directly from India, as this will not only reduce landed cost, but it will ensure the timely delivery of much-needed drugs and medical supplies to many hospitals and rural health centres.

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