Bula
Aiyaz Mohammed Musa Umarji’s drug bust was just the tip of a mounting iceberg that froze beneath untold issues of methamphetamine that is silently decaying Fijian society.
The businessman’s arrest is only one sign of Fiji’s increasing role as an international trafficking hub. A joint investigation by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), The Fiji Times, the New Zealand Herald, and Radio New Zealand (RNZ) has found a far murkier story of impunity behind the conviction of Mr Umarji.
That’s the big one on the front page of The Fiji Times for Saturday, October 21. Read the full report on Pages 4,5 and 6.
In the second story, white drugs are arriving in the country in incomplete form and the local addition of Panadol and salt completes the formula for the illicit substance.
Acting deputy Commissioner of Police Sakeo Raikaci said most white drugs are being brought into the country in incomplete form from the United States, Canada, and South American countries and this was a challenge for local law enforcement officers.
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Features and opinions
It’s the weekend and we have a list of quality articles inside for your reading pleasure. Check out Beyond the Scope, our investigative reporting section.
Synopsis
Yesterday the reality of what cancer does to the body was unveiled by Dr Josese Turagava.
As he spoke to staff of The Fiji Times in Suva, it was clear no one understood the impact of the sickness. No one realised how scary and painful it can get for those suffering from it.
Showing pictures that were at best, horrific, Dr Turagava hit a raw nerve. It was obvious emotions were on over-drive. There was a sense of sadness intertwined with fear and gratitude.
You had to be grateful to not have cancer.
But for those impacted negatively by this dreaded sickness, the realities are quite harsh. They touch at the very heart of pain and suffering, and fear.
It is when you truly start to be enlightened that you get a sense of appreciation of the reason survivors must tell their story.
Fear is such a sad draw back for those suffering from cancer.
It is fear that torments the mind and instils the decision not to reach out for assistance.
It is fear that prevents early medical intervention, and it is this very same fear that can cause bigger problems, and eventually death.
That is the reality we must talk about. That is the sad truth about the situation we must overcome here in Fiji.
Because sadly, our challenge is getting people to the hospitals early.
Between 600 and 700 new cancer cases are reported annually in hospitals around the country. That’s the word from Dr Turagava, the Colonial War Memorial Hospital’s
chief surgeon.
He said out of this, between 200 and 300 are breast cancer cases.
“Out of that, around 200 to 300 cases of breast cancer and the top five for females are breast cancer, cervical cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, rectal cancer and colorectal cancer.”
It was scary looking at the graphic images on the big screen. It was sad knowing that some of the women died. However, it was encouraging to note that some survived.
This is why we must encourage them to come forward and tell their story.
The graphic images left an indelible impression on the minds of every staff member yesterday.
It was hard to understand why some people still stayed away from the hospital even when they were suffering, and in great pain.
We have always pushed the notion that early detection can save lives.
“A major challenge in fighting this battle is that the patients are coming in too late,” Dr Turagava points out.
This is where awareness comes in and people are encouraged to nurture the courage to seek medical assistance early.
Most patients, he said, presented themselves to hospitals with unfortunate stages of advanced cancerous illness.
So the message now is about creating a level of awareness that will extend across the country, encouraging and assisting people to take themselves to hospital early if they suspect they are suffering from cancer.
People do survive, because of early detection! Remember that!
