A breakdown in negotiations between the Ministry of Health and Health Care Fiji Ltd, which manages Lautoka and Ba Hospitals under the Aspen brand, has led to an abrupt change in how outpatient department patients receive their medication.

Starting today, OPD patients will no longer receive their medicines directly from the two hospitals.

Instead, they must access prescriptions through alternative sites, including nearby health centres and selected private pharmacies under the Government’s Free Medicine Program.

According to Health Minister Dr. Atonio Lalabalavu, Aspen had requested that the government begin reimbursing it for outpatient medicines, a cost that was not part of the original public-private partnership agreement.

The government declined the request.

He states that Health Care Fiji gave notice last week that it would stop dispensing free medication to outpatient department patients from today, despite the Ministry’s request for more time.

Dr. Lalabalavu adds that the shift is temporary while internal logistics are addressed.

The Health Minister is expected to travel to the Western Division next week to assess the new setup and consult on improvements.

Meanwhile, professional bodies have expressed alarm.

Fiji Pharmaceutical Association President Priyanka Prasad says this option will not be cost-effective for Fijians.

“Let’s say, to buy their medicines, and the pharmacist there in the private pharmacy finds out there’s an issue with the prescription, it’s very difficult to track down doctors at the hospital to make interventions and make the prescription safe for dispensing before they’re able to give the medicine out to the patient to use. So then the patient would have to go back to the hospital, get the prescription changed, and come back to the pharmacy to buy it. It’s just so inconvenient.”

She adds that this could increase out-of-pocket costs for many patients, particularly those not eligible for the Free Medicine Program.

Fiji Medical Association President Dr. Alipate Vakamocea echoed similar concerns, questioning how services could be cut after the government increased Aspen’s budget allocation from $90 million to $117 million in the new national budget.

He claims the new arrangement will make it difficult for patients to access essential medications, including HIV treatment and warfarin.

“So if they’re going to stop these services, then we’re going to be struggling with HIV medication. Another classic example would be a patient who is on warfarin. It’s a very important life-saving drug for him. They’ll go to Aspen, get tested, and then they’ll have to go searching for their warfarin. And if they don’t find it, their compliance rates will reduce, and they’ll end up with some bad outcomes.”

In response, Assistant Health Minister Penioni Ravunawa says the government is working to strengthen health centers in the Western Division to manage minor illnesses and reduce pressure on hospitals.

He says the government is focused on ensuring tertiary care remains available within the country while encouraging patients with less severe conditions to use local clinics.

“But I believe it’s just an administrative matter, where the big burden is to educate our patients in the Western Division, the general public, that if you have minor sickness, just to report to Vidilo, Punjas Medical Center, and Kamikamica Health Center, where you can be served and also provided medication from our local pharmacy, and also those chemists in town that are participating in the private-public partnership.”

Patients from Aspen managed Lautoka Hospital will now be directed to the Lautoka Health Clinic at Vidilo House, while those in Ba will use a mobile dispensary at Ba Hospital.

Additional options include nearby government health centres and private pharmacies participating in the Free Medicine Program.

FBC News has sent questions to Aspen Hospital regarding this matter.

Meanwhile, the MoH this afternoon clarified that these changes are in line with the Concession Agreement between the Government of Fiji and Health Care Pte Ltd, which specifies that the Concessionaire is not responsible for providing outpatient medicines.

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