Health Minister Dr. Atonio Lalabalavu has urged the Fiji Institute of Medical Laboratory Scientists president to submit the names of those staff who are owed overtime.

His comments come after President Jignesh Sharma refuted the Minister’s statement made in parliament that overtime for the FIMLS staff is being paid, and if this has not happened, it can be addressed.

However, Sharma says this statement is factually incorrect and the Medical Laboratory Scientists have not received overtime payments since May 2025.

Sharma states that this matter was formally brought to the attention of the Minister, the Assistant Minister, and the Permanent Secretary for Health via official correspondence on May 7th.

He says following this, they received a response through internal communication from the Ministry, referencing a directive from the Ministry of Civil Service indicating a cessation of overtime payments.

Sharma claims this decision was reportedly linked to the recruitment of 2024 Allied Health graduates.

He highlights that while the FIMLS acknowledges the efforts made toward strengthening the workforce, they must emphasize that staffing shortages persist, and a sustainable long-term solution has yet to be implemented.

Sharma adds that the current workforce remains under immense pressure, and without appropriate overtime compensation, their members are being compelled into continuous seven-day shifts without due remuneration.

In response, the Health Minister maintains that the non-payment of overtime is not an issue.

Dr. Lalabalavu says that the onus is on Sharma to bring the information on due overtime payment to them so it can be facilitated.

“Like I said, overtime is continuously being paid, and if they are not being paid, as a leader of the organization, what he should do is do the right thing and bring the names of the individuals or staff to our attention so we can facilitate the payment.”

The FIMLS President has further claimed that the Sub Divisional hospital labs struggle as it is impossible for staff to utilize all their owing hours.

Sharma says the workload burden is immense, and in some facilities, only one or two officers are left to keep the services running for an entire community.

He says their plea still remains that decision-makers must genuinely consider the severe effects of removing overtime.

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