Fiji Labour Party Questions Hospital Readiness Amid Dengue Crisis

The Fiji Labour Party is raising serious concerns over the capacity of the country’s health system to cope with the escalating dengue fever outbreak, as cases continue to surge across Fiji.

According to the Ministry of Health, the Central Division alone has recorded 1,090 cases between January and March 23, with major centres such as CWM, Nasinu, Navua, Korovou, and Vunidawa experiencing sharp increases in the past few weeks.

The Western Division has also battled an acute wave of infections for months, while medical staff in Labasa report rising numbers of patients with high fever and related symptoms.

The situation has become so severe that several foreign missions have issued travel advisories, warning their citizens about the outbreak in Fiji.

In a statement, the Fiji Labour Party criticised what it described as the “pathetic state” of the country’s healthcare system.

It cited an acute shortage of doctors, nurses, medical supplies, IV fluids, and even basic hospital necessities, raising urgent questions about whether Fiji is prepared for the crisis if the epidemic worsens.

Patients have been forced to purchase prescription medicines from private pharmacies as hospitals run out of stock.

In Lautoka, a seven-year-old boy with a high fever reportedly waited 8–9 hours at the hospital’s emergency unit, where only one doctor was on duty for a backlog of patients.

Similar scenes played out at Aspen Hospital in Ba. Paul Madigi, a concerned grandfather, told Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry that he had brought his sick granddaughter to the hospital at 7am and was only able to leave at 5pm — a gruelling 10-hour wait.

“If patients at Ba and Lautoka, which are better equipped, are made to wait this long, how long will those in the Central Division have to endure as the crisis worsens?” questioned Mr. Chaudhry.

He further asked why there remains a shortage of medical professionals despite qualified graduates awaiting appointments.

“Is this another case of funds not being released? Why is there such a chronic shortage of drugs, medicines, and basic supplies at our hospitals?” he said.

Mr. Chaudhry placed blame squarely on the government, stating, “The Finance Minister has a lot to answer for. He cannot just bury his head and deny any shortage of essentials at our hospitals. The fast-deteriorating state of our national health care facilities is an indictment on the Coalition Government — its insensitivity to the needs of the common people and inability to provide basic services for our people.”

The Labour Leader was also critical of the bare, uncomfortable conditions in which patients were forced to wait for hours in emergency and outpatient areas. “At least provide a decent and pleasant waiting environment for them with padded seating and so on — not bare benches,” he said.