[Photo: SUPPLIED]

The Fiji Institute of Engineers is calling for a major shift in the way engineering designs are reviewed under the proposed Public Health Amendment Bill 2026.

While making submissions before the Standing Committee on Social Affairs on the Public Health (Amendment) Bill, they recommended that suitably qualified chartered engineers be allowed to certify designs before they are submitted to the Central Board of Health.

Fiji Institute of Engineers Member Saneel Sami says introducing a “duly qualified person” system will reduce administrative delays.

“We would suggest and recommend a similar concept here where an engineer can sign off on a design and present it to the board,  which would avoid a lot of this administrative work and bottlenecks.”

He says the current process places the responsibility of reviewing and approving every design directly on the Central Board of Health.

“If you look at it, you’ve got a board of eight members to get a quorum; to get them to vet and review designs, can be a time-consuming process. So, if you have similar to what municipal councils require for structures,  if it’s signed off by a structural engineer,  that structural engineer carries a professional indemnity cover and bears the liability for the design.  So, with that respect, we can fast-track the approvals.”

However, the Ministry of Health says that the proposed board oversight is broader than simply checking whether a structure is physically strong.

“So, unfortunately, for this particular section in the bill,  it does not totally focus only on structural integrity of the design. Furthermore, it’s to do with the purpose of the design.”

The Ministry says while engineers provide important technical expertise, the Central Board of Health must ensure new designs do not create health risks for communities.