Riya Mala 
India is ready to offer healthcare support to Fiji as the country deals with a HIV outbreak.
India aims to support Fiji by supplying medicines, providing funding, and improving awareness programs to help address the country’s healthcare challenges.
These efforts are part of India’s larger commitment to improving medical standards and ensuring Fiji has the resources and knowledge to tackle the issues effectively.
Indian High Commissioner to Fiji, Suneet Mehta, said the support would not be limited to HIV and would also extend to non-communicable diseases.
“So, in our quest to do more, we would like to have more and more Indian medicine, especially the generic medicines which India produces and exports to major advanced countries, to also come to Fiji. We would look forward to the recognition of the Indian pharmacopoeia by the government of Fiji, so that Indian pharmacopoeia medicines and generic medicines can be available in Fiji.”
Mehta said many people travelled to India for treatment, and the Indian government’s aim was to work with the Health Ministry to introduce advanced services locally.
Health Minister Dr Atonio Lalabalavu said they were ready to work with development partners and organizations outside of the ministry.
“As always with any declaration, there is a funding component that comes with it, but at the beginning, we will be using the funds available within the ministry, and other development partners are stepping up to assist us in terms of funding as well.”
Fiji has seen an alarming hike in HIV cases, with 1,093 reported from January to September 2024, three times as many as there were in 2023.
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