Australia has signed the Direct Funding Arrangement to bolster Fiji’s Colonial War Memorial Hospital Redevelopment Project.
At the signing, Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Prof. Biman Prasad highlighted that the direct funding arrangement is for AUD $10 million (FJD $14 million).
This funding would strengthen Fiji’s endeavours to implement a comprehensive infrastructure master plan for the Colonial War Memorial Hospital.
Fiji’s Minister for Health, Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Prof. Biman Prasad, and the Australian High Commissioner to Fiji, Ewen McDonald, were present at the signing.
Deputy Prime Minister Prasad said:
“Over the years, we have strengthened our bilateral relationship with Australia in the areas of security and defence, healthcare, education, climate change, trade and economic cooperation.”
Prof. Prasad added that their Coalition Government inherited a national health system on the verge of collapse, and the delivery of health services in Fiji has been and is still far from satisfactory:
“The CWM Redevelopment project will be delivered in a structured way that ensures the multilateral partners like the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank can join later to provide financing support towards the implementation of the master plan.”
Australian High Commissioner to Fiji, Ewen McDonald, highlighted that this agreement marks a significant milestone for healthcare in Fiji.
Mr McDonald commended the new Fiji Government’s commitment to ensure quality health services for all Fijians through an increase in health expenditure and a focus on redeveloping infrastructure.
Prof. Prasad further informed that Fiji had also secured USD 50 million (FJD 117.0 million) financing from the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP).
This amount is for investment projects relating to road renewal and re-sealing, bridge replacement, climate change adaptation and flood mitigation.
On the occasion of the document signing, Australia and Fiji also took the opportunity to recognise CWM staff who have recently graduated with an Australian certificate in the ‘Foundations of Infection Prevention and Control.’
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