News

Decree helped decentralise services

December 26, 2014 7:03 pm

The decentralisation of services at the Saint Giles Hospital has help greatly in providing people across the country with adequate care.

Medical Superintendent Dr Peni Biukoto says this was all thanks to a decree that was passed in 2010.

“The Mental Treatment Act focused only on admission, discharge and treatment at the Saint Giles Hospital. The Mental Health Decree 2010 opened out this possibility to enable in the Decree enabled the Minister of Health to declare a facility as a mental health unit.”

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This allowed the establishment of stress management wards in the various divisional hospitals.

“Part of the decentralisation is we are moving towards developing mental health teams in the divisions that are separate from the Saint Giles Hospital but still under the ministry of Health but part of its public health arm.”

In doing so Dr Biukoto says their long term goal is to ensure no individual is deprived of the opportunity to receive premium health care; be it Viti Levu or Vanua Levu.

He added that it was encouraging to see some Doctors taking up Post-grad diploma on Mental Health offered at University level and nurses getting training in this field.