The Sigatoka Hospital in partnership with the Coral Coast Hoteliers will embark on the renovation of the hospital’s existing operating theatre services as part of the ongoing efforts to enhance the health services.

Subdivisional Medical Officer Nadroga/Navosa, Dr Amos Zibran says support by the Coral Coast Hoteliers has been significant in undertaking the development plans for the Sigatoka Hospital.

Dr. Zibran noted that the partnership with the association has already led to improved maternity wards, a new heli-pad and now work will begin on the renovation and refurbishing of the operating theatres.

Currently, the Sigatoka Hospital has one operating theatre that needs to be upgraded and the plan is to develop another operating theatre. Therefore Dr. Zibran says having 2 operating theatres will boost their capacity to do more operations and surgeries at the hospital.

Dr. Zibran adds that the renovation of the operating theatre is expected to the completed by the end of this year, while the current renovation works undertaken will enhance the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department.

Sigatoka Hospital serves the population size of more than 52,000, with geographically isolated communities.

On a daily basis there are more than 300 patients attended to by the outpatient services department and the hospital has 75 beds within the patient wards.

The Sigatoka hospital has its own helipad for patient evacuation during times of emergency. And with the support of KOICA, the Sigatoka Hospital has also developed it Tuberculosis (TB) lab that enables the team to have a one stop shop in terms of conducting TB tests and that has improved the turnaround time to confirm the TB tests and diagnosis.
Apart from the subdivisional hospital there are 14 other health facilities within the Nadroga /Navosa which includes 6 nursing stations and 8 health centres.

The upcoming new facility of $30 million that is currently in progress is the Keiyasi Sub-divisional hospital that will serve more than 10,000 Fijians in the province of Nadroga, Navosa and the highlands of Ba.