Local doctors who have lost government sponsorships for post graduate studies are hoping the matter will be sorted soon.
The Fiji Medical Association is lobbying with the Health Ministry and the School of Medicine so that post graduate doctors can continue their education.
President Dr. James Fong says if the situation is not reversed, there could be implications on services, and could affect long term plans for adequate staffing.
“This particular problem has the potential to undermine many of our efforts in maintaining the momentum towards high level services accessible to everybody. At the moment we’re putting in the building blocks and we need a supply of specialists.”
Dr. Fong says there needs to be progressive training of doctors so that years down the line, there isn’t a huge disparity in specialist medicine.
The Health Ministry is not paying for specialist medical training at the Fiji School of Medicine, leaving doctors with little options.
About forty local doctors now face paying their own fees to complete their programmes – these include surgeons, anesthetists, oncologists and other specialized fields.
The Fiji School of Medicine says if there’s no solution, the doctors might not be able to complete their four year programmes.
