27 of 30 Pharmacist Candidates Reportedly Failed Registration Exam

Only 3 of 30 candidates who sat a pharmacist registration examination in 2025 passed, according to Opposition MP Hon. Alvick Maharaj.

Mr Maharaj raised the figure during last year's parliamentary debate on the Registration of Skilled Professionals (Repeal) Bill, warning that Fiji was already facing a critical shortage of pharmacists and that repealing the legislation would make the problem more difficult to address.

Despite those warnings, Parliament went ahead and repealed the Registration of Skilled Professionals Act.

Since then, pharmacist shortages and difficulties accessing pharmacy services have continued to be reported across Fiji, particularly in rural and maritime communities, raising questions over whether the repeal removed a mechanism that could have helped address the growing workforce shortage.

Maharaj had warned Parliament that only three of 30 candidates had passed a recent pharmacist registration examination.

Maharaj also argued that Fiji struggled to recruit pharmacists from countries whose qualifications were readily recognised, including Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and South Africa, because salaries in those countries were significantly higher than those offered locally.

Instead, he said Fiji needed greater flexibility to recruit qualified pharmacists from countries such as India, the Philippines and Indonesia, adding that many pharmacy owners were already working as pharmacists themselves because they could not find registered professionals to employ.

Despite those warnings, Parliament went ahead and repealed the Registration of Skilled Professionals Act.

At the time, the Fiji Pharmaceutical Society welcomed the repeal, arguing that pharmacist registration should remain with the Pharmacy Profession Board rather than a separate government committee.

The Society said the SPEC pathway bypassed established registration processes, weakened professional safeguards and could compromise patient safety.

In hindsight, the repeal has raised fresh questions. Pharmacist shortages and difficulties accessing pharmacy services have continued to be reported across Fiji, particularly in rural and maritime communities, prompting debate over whether Parliament removed a mechanism that could have assisted in addressing workforce shortages.

Residents of Taveuni have called for a private pharmacy because patients may need to travel to Savusavu or Labasa when medicines are unavailable locally, while Levuka remains without a private pharmacy, with prescriptions sometimes having to be sourced from the mainland.

Earlier this month, the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission (FCCC) issued formal warnings to three pharmacies after they were found operating without a registered pharmacist on duty during business hours—a direct breach of Condition 2 of their Pharmacy Business Authorisation, which requires a registered pharmacist to be present whenever a pharmacy is open.

FCCC Chief Executive Officer Senikavika Jiuta described the requirement as "a fundamental requirement for the lawful operation of a pharmacy", saying it protects consumers by ensuring medicines are dispensed safely, dosages are checked and patients receive appropriate professional advice. She warned that pharmacies operating without a registered pharmacist "may expose consumers to potential risks."

The situation presents regulators with a difficult challenge. If Fiji is experiencing a genuine shortage of registered pharmacists, should pharmacies that cannot recruit one be forced to close, potentially leaving communities without pharmacy services, or should the regulatory framework be reviewed to better balance patient safety with access to essential medicines?

The situation also raises questions about the position taken by the Fiji Pharmaceutical Society during the repeal debate.

While the Society at the time argued that repealing the SPEC Act would strengthen patient safety by maintaining tighter professional oversight, patient safety also depends on communities having timely access to qualified pharmacists.

Those issues are expected to feature prominently during the Government's review of the Pharmacy Profession Act 2011.

We have sent questions to the relevant stakeholders.

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