Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Prof. Biman Prasad, has hit back at Fiji Labour Party leader and former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry over recent criticism of the Aspen Medical-managed Ba and Lautoka hospitals.
In a detailed statement, Prof. Prasad said Chaudhry’s claims about Aspen Medical, the hospital budget, and medicine supplies were “factually incorrect.” He clarified that Aspen Medical Fiji, formally Health Care (Fiji) Pte Limited (HCF), is 80 per cent owned by the Fiji National Provident Fund and 20 per cent by Aspen Medical of Australia. HCF operates Ba and Lautoka Hospitals, providing free services to patients, with the government paying per patient treated.
“The increase in Budget funding is not a fixed contract payment,” Prasad explained.
“It reflects estimates for patient treatments in the coming fiscal year. If there are more patients, government pays more; fewer patients, it pays less.”
He noted that Ba and Lautoka Hospitals treated approximately 930,000 patients in 2023 and 950,000 in 2025. The complexity of cases, such as cardiac services, has increased, driving higher treatment costs.
Prof. Prasad also outlined the contract history, stating the previous government’s 2019 agreement with HCF was altered in 2022 to begin operations immediately in the existing Lautoka Hospital, creating uncertainty over costs. “The 2019 deal was poorly planned,” he admitted, “but we are legally bound and are negotiating to improve efficiency and cost management.”
Regarding medicine supply changes at the hospitals, Prof. Prasad said these were a government initiative to manage costs and that steps are being taken to establish government-run dispensaries at both hospitals in the coming months.
Aspen Medical also refuted claims made by Chaudhry that only one doctor was attending patients at Lautoka Hospital. A spokesperson confirmed the emergency department had seven clinicians, including three doctors, four interns, and a dedicated fast-track team for critical patients. Between 7am and 6.15pm last Thursday, 123 patients were triaged and treated following the South African Triage scale.
Chaudhry had allegedly accused the government of giving an additional $27 million to Aspen while ending free medicine supplies, describing the situation as “sheer nonsense.” Prasad countered that payments to HCF are based on patient numbers and complexity, and the hospital continues to provide essential services.
Support our Journalism
No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.
