The Ministry of Health and Medical Services has established a Border Health Protection Unit in preparation for the opening of international borders and the influx of visitors into the country.
The Division, set up under the ministry’s Protection Division, plays a leading role in supervising its Border Health Protection Programmes, the ministry said.
Health Minister Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete said this unit – under the guidance and leadership of a senior and well-trained medical officer – would consolidate and strengthen infectious diseases’ surveillance, monitoring, laboratory testing, and quarantine services conducted by various units and departments in the ministry.
He said it would work in tandem with other border control services and agencies.
“This unit, Mr Speaker, is something that has been comprehensive in its working over the last 1½ years of COVID and its rudimentary framework has been there from before, including the International Health Regulations (IHR),” Dr Waqainabete told Parliament.
“However, moving forward, we would like to see this as a more complex unit, actually taking on those responsibilities.
“Through its collaborations with local and international border health agencies, the unit will further boost our ability to protect our population from the threat of transnational infectious diseases and global health emergencies, which also include the COVID-19 variants that have not yet been to Fiji.”
The Minister added the ministry was revamping its Disease Surveillance Network to focus on other disease entities with potential outbreak abilities, in addition to COVID-19.
“This is also important, as we approach the cyclone season in Fiji and the ever-pressing threat of climate-sensitive diseases if they get propagated in our communities during these climatic upheavals.
“The silver lining of this rather devastating COVID-19 outbreak is the enhancement of our laboratory testing capacity for infectious diseases in Fiji.
“From the single machine capacity in March 2020, we now have seven health facilities in the public and private sector, testing for COVID-19 antigen capacity and to test for other communicable diseases, and we have seen the increase in the numbers.
“We have also increased the number of our laboratory scientists, to be able to meet this demand, but they have really been one of our important frontline workers.”
