The Ministry of Health yesterday launched an early warning system designed to recognize, refer, and respond to deteriorating patients.

Permanent Secretary for Health Doctor James Fong says the “Between the Flags” project is designed to assist clinicians in reducing preventable deaths in hospitals and providing better support to staff.

“The purpose of the hospital is to heal people, and part of the healing process lies in our ability to detect anybody who is going down fast and respond to it quickly because that is also part and parcel of our healing process. If we do it early, then sometimes we can avoid putting them in intensive care and more expensive facilities within the hospital.”

Permanent Secretary for Health Dr James Fong. 

Dr. Fong says the BTF project is a continuation of the COVID-19 engagement of the Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMET) program.

Australia’s Acting High Commissioner to Fiji, Stuart Watts, says it is an honour to work in partnership with the Health Ministry on providing solutions to improve the standard of care for Fijians.

“Australia is a long-standing partner of Fiji in health. We work collaboratively to support the capacity of the health system and improve health outcomes for all Fijians. The Australian government places immense importance on our strong relationship with Fiji, which has enabled us to move quickly to tackle problems together.”

Clinical Governance Lead, Fiji Health Program Dr. Alipate Vakamocea, says the project is in its six-month pilot stage and is centred at the CWM Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit in Suva.