Fijians living in rural and urban areas can expect more health officers at their nearest centers.

This comes as the Health Ministry aims to embark on a Universal Health Coverage – aimed at ensuring Fijians have access to quality health services without suffering financial hardship.

Minister, Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete says with non-communicable diseases on the rise, they’re looking at increasing its outpatient clinics.

 This is now a programme scheduled event and therefore we’re bringing the opportunities for our people who have hypertension, diabetes and other NCD’s to be seen right at their nearest health center and this is our approach to primarily health care at universal coverage, making sure that no Fijian is left behind.

Dr Waqainabete says they have already deployed specialists from major hospitals to rural communities around the country.

Within the Lami-Nausori corridor and also between Sigatoka all the way across the other side to Ra, we have specialist from CWM, Lautoka Hospital and Labasa now doing clinics.

The Ministry today received NCD monitoring equipment worth $36,000 from the World Health Organization with assistance from the Chinese embassy.