Praneeta Prakash 
[Photo: FILE]
Outsourcing elective surgeries to private facilities has helped reduce the backlog at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital during ongoing renovations.
Health Minister Dr Atonio Lalabalavu highlighted this in Parliament while updating the house on the status of operating theatres and broader upgrades at CWM Hospital.
Dr Lalabalavu says four of the hospital’s eight operating theatres are currently operational, while the remaining four are under renovation.
“The major work left to be carried out is the medical gas piping work by Oceania Gas and we will need to work on the wall outlets.”
Dr Lalabalavu admitted there were initial delays in surgeries and specialist services due to the ongoing works.
“We have put in a program of outsourcing cases to private facilities and that has really brought down the backlog of cases, especially elective cases such as orthopaedics and others. So with that outsourcing of services to the private sector, we have reduced the backlog, and now we are mainly dealing with semi-emergency and emergency cases within CWM.”
The Health Minister adds that the improvements are aimed at keeping the hospital fully operational over the next seven to ten years while long-term planning for future hospital development continues.
