Peceli Naviticoko 
The Labasa Divisional Hospital is struggling with an outdated waste management system that has been in use for the past decades.
Acting Medical Superintendent Dr. Mikaele Mua highlighted the hospital’s urgent need for a new, effective incinerator to handle its medical waste.
Now, under the Vuvale partnership, the Australian government has offered assistance by investing $0.5 million in a medical incinerator for Labasa Hospital.
He says the clinical waste from the Labasa Hospital is sometimes buried when the incinerator does not work since they also receive medical waste from other hospitals in the North, thus the urgent need for a new incinerator.
“Since 2019, Labasa Hospital has generated a total of 110,256 kilograms of general waste, 281,822 kilograms of infectious waste, and 11,150 kilograms of sub. And this is equivalent to using up a total of 82,730 liters of fuel.”
Australia’s High Commissioner to Fiji, Peter Roberts, says they are aware of the needs at health facilities around Fiji and are ready to assist.
The new medical incinerator investment package, expected to be delivered by next month, includes a spare parts kit, a three-year warranty, and a five-year service agreement with annual maintenance visits from Inciner8 engineers.
Meanwhile, the Environmental Health Unit will provide refresher training for the Labasa clinical and ancillary staff on hospital waste management prior to the commissioning of the incinerator.
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