Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Prof. Biman Prasad has vowed to rebuild Fiji’s deteriorating public health infrastructure, promising that the country will have a “first-class” system within the next five to seven years.
Addressing the Fiji Trades Union Congress (FTUC) National Council Meeting in Suva on Saturday, Prof. Prasad said the Coalition Government inherited one of the most run-down health systems in the world.
“The health infrastructure inherited by the Coalition Government was among the most dilapidated that any government could take over, anywhere in the world.”
Quoting findings from a World Bank review commissioned by the Government, Prof. Prasad pointed to decades of decline: “What the report says is our health outcomes were better in the ’70s, ’80s and the ’90s.”
“In the last 20 years, we have completely destroyed our public health system. That is what we (Coalition Government) inherited here.”
He said the Government is now actively repairing and upgrading health facilities across the country. “You go around the country, in two and a half years, we have fixed so many health centres,” he noted.
“Nausori Health Centre, looking after 70,000 people, was falling apart, we fixed it in one year. In Kadavu, the health centre was falling apart. Staff, civil servants were struggling to live in their quarters.”
Prof. Prasad confirmed that the Vunisea Hospital in Kadavu is being upgraded with assistance from the Australian Government and that reconstruction of the Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital in Suva is also underway.
“Again, we got the independent review done and in the first sentence of the report, it says, ‘Years of neglect of the CWM Hospital.’ Remember, when we were in Opposition, we used to take pictures and show them, we still have some issues there.”
He revealed that 27 health infrastructure projects are currently in progress: “In the meantime, we are also negotiating and a lot of work has already been done for a new national hospital of more than 700 beds.”
“We identified a location as I said in my budget speech, we are getting a number of partners to work together to build it.”
Construction on a new Indian Government-supported 100-bed super-specialty hospital is also set to begin shortly: “We are still negotiating with the Lautoka and Ba hospitals. These hospitals were handed over to Aspen.”
“In the last two and a half years, we made sure that the services in those hospitals are much better, much improved. But we are still negotiating the model. FNPF is a major shareholder.”
DPM Prasad concluded:
“Government is confident that in the next four to five years or seven years, we will have first-class health infrastructure in this country.”
In his wider address to the FTUC, Prof Prasad also underlined the vital role that trade unions continue to play in promoting fairness, protecting workers’ rights, and supporting democracy.
“Trade unions are not just about wages and working conditions. They are a vital pillar of our society and an essential partner in nation-building.”
Joined by Minister for Employment Agni Deo Singh, the Deputy Prime Minister reiterated the Coalition Government’s commitment to improving the labour environment through ongoing reforms announced in the 2025–2026 National Budget. “Workers must be treated with dignity, and this Government will continue to uphold that principle,” said Prof Prasad.
“The budget prioritises job creation, investment in education and training, and protecting vulnerable workers—especially women and youth.”
He also urged union leaders to take a leading role in promoting workplace productivity, punctuality and efficiency.
The session concluded with an open question-and-answer forum where Prof Prasad engaged directly with FTUC members on pressing labour and economic issues.
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