The Fijian government will continue to address any shortfalls in the provision of medical services or facilities around the country.
That was expressed by Minister for Health Doctor Neil Sharma who is participating at the sixty-third session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for the Western Pacific currently underway in Hanoi, Viet Nam.
“Health Inequity adversely affects national development efforts, and Fiji is no different. With Fiji’s Health: GDP of 3.6% and Health to Total Government Expenditure ratio of 9.3% in 2012, capital and operational expenses remained lean. Despite a three-fold increase in International Development Agencies’ support since 2008, taxation remains the funding source of our health budget”, Dr Sharma said. .
“All efforts now must be geared to increased health efficiency with pharmaceutical, consumable and biomedical technological purchases to spread the budget allocations from 2013”.
Dr Sharma highlighted medical costs in the country adding that medical facilities remain one of the components of determining costs.
“Service charges to paying individuals, patients with medical insurance coverage remains subsidised with the aim of cost recovery for purchase of consumables and essentials to maintain the level of ongoing services in the form of ongoing service agreements. Services through the public health system in Fiji remain totally free. In fact, currently we are providing universal coverage to the poor and needy”.
“From an ideological perspective, universal health coverage at no cost is ideal. However, being pragmatic, one must realise that high technology also needs subsidised financial returns to maintain the services network”.
World Health Organisation regional director Dr Shin Young-soo emphasised to regional leaders at the meet on the need to prepare for future health crisis while tackling the current ones.
Dr Young-soo said, “we should continue to implement innovative approaches to increase efficiency and to sharpen focus on the challenges that member states have stated our priorities.
“Our focus is to remain focus and make difference where it matter, mostly at country level,” he said.
Members representing 37 countries meet each year to review the WHO’s work in the region and to determine the future directions which are compiled by the leaders. However, WHO is challenged with the rapid changing realities in public health, social and economic situations.
The WHO secretariat has encouraged member states to strengthen their health systems to sustain the past gains while continuously addressing the challenges they face and prepare for the future.
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