Taiwan Sends Specialists to Fiji Amid HIV Crisis

Taiwan has sent infectious disease specialists to Fiji to help address the country’s urgent HIV situation, as part of its ongoing medical assistance through Mackay Memorial Hospital.

Taiwan’s Representative to Fiji, David Cheng-Wei Wu, says the decision to include infectious disease specialists in this year’s medical mission was made in response to the growing HIV concerns in Fiji.

“And this year, like I mentioned, is quite special. They recruited infectious disease specialists to come because we have a very urgent HIV situation here,” Wu said.

The Mackay Memorial Hospital medical team has been visiting Fiji since 2023, completing eight missions, mainly in Nadi.

Wu said the team generally visits Fiji twice a year to provide medical assistance and support local healthcare services.

Apart from treating patients at Nadi Hospital, the Taiwanese medical team has also visited villages to provide healthcare services to people who have difficulty travelling to hospital.

The team is also providing remote medical consultations, allowing specialists in Taiwan to assist with the treatment of patients in Fiji.

“So they’re also doing some public health education to the people here, especially recently, we also have the flu and COVID here in Fiji,” Wu said.

He said the programmes aim to improve public awareness of healthcare, encourage people to look after their health and provide treatment to those in need.

Wu also revealed plans to strengthen the partnership between Mackay Memorial Hospital and Nadi Hospital, including further medical training for Fijian healthcare workers.

“We will continue to invite doctors and nursing staff to go to Taiwan to have training to enhance your capacity, especially in the Western Division of Fiji,” he said.

He said Taiwan would continue working with Fiji to improve healthcare services and strengthen the skills of local medical professionals.

“We are very happy. We’ll continue to work with Fiji to do more for the people of Fiji,” Wu said.