Mosese Raqio 
[Photo: MOSESE RAQIO/ FACEBOOK]
Non-communicable diseases are killing Fijians in their 40s, 50s and 60s, with 80 percent of adult deaths now linked to NCDs.
Speaking at the opening of the Marata Village Wellness Centre, JP Bayly Trust Board of Trustees member Rufina Latu described NCDs as “a killer in Fiji”, saying people are dying too young from heart disease, diabetes, cancer, strokes and kidney failure, often leaving behind young families.
Latu says many of these deaths can be prevented through healthier lifestyles and early intervention, adding that rising treatment costs, including kidney dialysis, are placing enormous pressure on the health system.
She says the JP Bayly Trust supported the Wellness Centre after the Ministry of Health’s 2025 STEPS Survey highlighted the growing NCD crisis and is calling on government, NGOs, businesses and communities to work together to tackle the epidemic.
Meanwhile, Nuffield Health Centre Senior Medical Officer Dr Joji Naqaravatu says the centre will bring preventive healthcare closer to the community, helping identify health risks early and encouraging healthier lifestyles before diseases become severe.
