There is a major shortage of Veterinarians around the country.

Agriculture Minister Dr Mahendra Reddy says this is due to the expensive cost of sending students to take up the Veterinary courses in other countries.

Dr Reddy says in an effort to address the growing shortage, the Fiji National University has introduced the course here, considering animal welfare – which is becoming a critical issue.

“I can fully understand that this decision to start the program came from the fact that Fiji and the region are facing a major shortage of Veterinarians. Animal welfare is now becoming a critical issue and our countries could not afford to send its students to Universities in Australia and New Zealand …even these countries have limited space plus not all Universities offer this program due to the high cost of delivery.”

Dr Reddy says they have also entered into another milestone project of constructing a Veterinary Teaching Hospital which will provide hands-on practical experience to veterinarians on how to handle animals.

He adds it’s not an easy task to establish a teaching hospital as it needs the right equipment and specialists to provide the relevant services.