Fijians calling the 161 toll-free Food Ration Helpline and having to wait in the queue are urged to be patient.

Vodafone Fiji Chief Marketing Officer, Rajnesh Prasad says the call centre currently mans both the 158 COVID-19 Helpline and now the 161 Food Ration Helpline.

Prasad says the number of calls on the two Helplines has increased significantly from this morning.

He adds the lines are working fine and operators are trying to take calls in a timely manner.

He says in the first half an hour after the lines were activated at 9am, there was a sudden spike in calls.

“The number of calls from nine has been very high as well. People are using both the lines the 158 and the 161 line as well to contact us and give us the information on the help that they need.”

Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says staff at the call centre are manning these lines to assist as many people as possible.

There are over 330, 000 Fijians living within the Suva/Nausori corridor.

“People calling on 161 there is obviously a huge number of calls a lot of people are waiting in the queue we ask them to please be patient and your call will be answered by the abled young men and women and then we will take down the details.”

Sayed-Khaiyum has urged that only those who genuinely need assistance call the Food Ration Helpline.

 “Sometimes we find that there are a lot of people from the same family, four or five people from the same family living under the same roof, making four or five different phone calls and obviously that is not correct that is not right, you are depriving and taking up the time on the line for those people who genuinely need to get through.”

Sayed-Khaiyum is urging Fijians to be honest adding that everyone who is in need of the Ration will be catered for.