Faith and physical health are closely connected, according to Hillview Seventh-day Adventist Church Pastor Lorenzo Berry.

Pacific countries are being urged to learn from Fiji’s experience with the HIV epidemic before they face similar challenges.

Getting students to speak openly about HIV could depend on how well teachers are trained to handle the sensitive issue.

Medical Services Pacific’s new pilot school-based survey has revealed both progress and persistent gaps in HIV and drug awareness among Fijian students.

Experts are raising concerns that sex education remains a taboo subject in many Fijian communities, creating barriers to HIV and drug awareness efforts in schools.

The Ministry of Health plans to convert a number of nursing stations into health centres to improve access to healthcare, particularly in rural and isolated communities.

Fiji is now in a generalised HIV epidemic, with the number of people living with HIV rising sharply over the past decade.

The Government says specialist health outreach services in the Western Division can continue even if Aspen Medical withdraws its outreach programme.

The Ministry of Health is aiming to have at least one public hospital in Fiji meet internationally recognised standards.

Fiji needs to get more children interested in agriculture if the country is to strengthen food security and attract a new generation of farmers.

Traditional leaders must be included at every level of Fiji’s HIV awareness efforts, with community workers saying the taboo surrounding the issue can be broken through open and culturally appropriate discussions.

Pacific oral health professionals have been challenged to turn conference knowledge into better patient care, rather than simply collecting professional development hours.