Health Minister, Dr. Ifereimi Waqainabete speaking in Parliament [Source: Fijian Government]

There are currently 804 doctors working across the country with 159 vacant positions.

Health Minister, Dr. Ifereimi Waqainabete says the recruitment of doctors has significantly increased in the last five years and has allowed Fiji to meet the global benchmark for the doctor-patient ratio of 1 to 1000.

“In 2014, the government had 431 doctors, now there are 804 doctors, an increase, a significant increase of 373. This indicates the number of doctors recruited, Honourable Speakers has almost doubled in the last five years. Majority of these doctors are our children, local graduates from the two universities.”

In addition, he says, the Ministry continues to roll out various initiatives to entice more doctors, one of which is the overseas recruitment scheme.

“These are the recruitments from overseas and outside of the civil service to be effected in Feburary, 2019, Medical Officers, 19, Senior Medical Officers, 7, Principal Medical Officers, 3, Chief Medical Officers, 3 and Consultants two, of them is from Scandanaivia. So we have made significant progress in this remand.”

The Health Minister was responding to an oral question from Opposition MP, Lenora Qereqeretabua on the patient ratio in public hospitals.