Private practitioners should not be turning away patients who are not displaying any symptoms of COVID-19.

Fiji Medical Association President, Dr Basharat Munshi, says while they have their own COVID-19 contingency plans to follow, they need to be fair on patients.

This comes as FBC News received complaints from people being turned away by private practitioners because they came from screening zones.

Many have labeled this act as unfair, as in some cases, kids were also turned away.

Dr Munshi says those that don’t pose no risk of COVID-19 being transmitted should be allowed into the clinic and must be given proper services.

He adds practitioners should at least do a temperature screen for the patients before deciding to turn patients away.

“It’s the responsibility of any medical practitioner to at least hear out what the presenting complaints are. Go through the checklist of questions and find out whether this patient that is coming in may possibly being exposed to COVID-19 or not”.

Dr Munshi says if Fijians come in with COVID-19 like symptoms then the patients are referred to fever clinics which have been set up by the Health Ministry.