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The Health Infrastructure Assessment Team has confirmed that several buildings at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva are unsafe.

Urgent upgrades are now needed to ensure essential services can continue.

CWMH Superintendent Dr Luke Nasedra said the cracks and deterioration cannot be ignored and a priority infrastructure plan is already being implemented with support from the Australian Government.

He stressed that while the hospital continues to function, critical wards such as the acute medical and surgical units are under severe strain.

“You will see in the two major acute wards, there’ll be significant change in the acute surgical and acute medical ward. You all know, we all know the gaps, the gaps in those two wards. We almost, we almost want to close those two wards.”

Dr Nasedra said the CWM master plan has been a long-awaited dream of clinicians and staff, with plans dating back as far as 2001.

He added that the current master planning process has involved doctors, nurses, administrators, and health executives working with international partners to design a hospital that meets Fiji’s future needs.

The hospital, first commissioned in 1923, has gone through multiple expansions over the last century.

“However, the assessment team confirmed that much of the current infrastructure is no longer fit for purpose.”

“We are the product of CWM hospital, not only in Fiji, but in the region. We want to make sure that the new CWM hospital, the training must be well addressed in the new CWM hospital.”

According to Dr Nasedra, the new hospital is projected to open by 2035 and will serve as Fiji’s main tertiary facility, supported by a subdivisional hospital in Suva.

He said the new facility must align with national and regional health needs, avoid duplicating services provided by private hospitals, and integrate training for future health workers.

Despite daily challenges, Dr Nasedra acknowledged the resilience of CWM staff and said the master plan represents hope for a safer, modern facility that will finally match the level of care Fijians deserve.

He outlined this during the Fiji Medical Association Conference in Nadi.

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