Amrish Krishnan Named SODELPA Candidate

SODELPA has announced kidney specialist Dr. Amrish Krishnan as a candidate for the upcoming general election, with healthcare reform at the centre of his political priorities.

Dr. Krishnan is the husband of Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services Dr. Aalisha Sahukhan.

He said his decision to enter politics stemmed from years of working with patients and seeing the difficulties many Fijians face in accessing timely and affordable treatment.

“My interest in entering politics is an extension of my longstanding commitment to public service, particularly in improving access to quality healthcare for disadvantaged communities across Fiji, and for those residing in rural, remote and maritime areas,” he said.

Raised in Lautoka, the former Natabua High School student completed his medical degree in 2006 and a Master of Medicine in Internal Medicine at Fiji National University in 2013.

According to SODELPA, he later trained in New Zealand and became Fiji’s first vocationally registered specialist nephrologist in 2015.

The party credited him with establishing intensive care dialysis for acute kidney injuries in the public health system and designing Fiji’s first public dialysis centre. He is also the founder and Clinical Director of The Kidney Hub (Fiji).

Dr. Krishnan said his professional experience had shown him that improving healthcare required more than identifying problems.

“Meaningful progress requires more than identifying problems. It requires the ability to build teams, mobilise resources, establish partnerships, and translate ideas into practical solutions,” he said.

If SODELPA forms or joins the next government, he hopes to help lead reforms focused on improving rural and maritime services, preventing non-communicable diseases, strengthening the health workforce and upgrading infrastructure.

His priorities also include transparent healthcare financing and stronger partnerships between government, private providers and development organisations.

Dr. Krishnan said he supported good governance, respect for iTaukei heritage and traditional institutions, and equal opportunities for every citizen regardless of ethnicity, religion or financial circumstances.