Yvonne Ravula 
[File Photo]
Fiji is losing more nurses than it is training, raising concerns over the country’s ability to sustain its healthcare workforce.
Former Fiji Medical Association President Dr. Alipate Vakamocea says while Fiji continues to produce hundreds of nursing graduates each year, the number of experienced nurses leaving for Australia and New Zealand is outpacing new entrants into the system.
“They’d probably produce something like three or four hundred graduates a year, but the attrition for nurses leaving the country is something like six, seven hundred. So no amount of training and bringing in new nurses is going to fix that void.”
Dr. Vakamocea says retaining experienced nurses remains the key challenge, warning that continued migration is widening the gap in frontline healthcare delivery.
He says the issue cannot be resolved through training alone and requires stronger retention measures to keep skilled professionals in the system.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Atonio Lalabalavu says the Ministry is working to manage staffing pressures within the health system, including allowing medical interns to transition into medical officer roles to create space for new intakes.
“Mainly because of the internship that are transitioning to medical officers. They need to move out because no make space for more new internships that will be coming in. So that is why we have asked for that exception.”
The Ministry says the measure is aimed at improving workforce flow and ensuring continued entry of new medical graduates into the system.
However, health experts maintain that unless the broader issue of nurse retention and overseas migration is addressed, Fiji’s healthcare workforce challenges will persist.
