Saturday Briefing

By Una Murray

Last Saturday marked the official opening of the Accident & Emergency Unit at Sigatoka Hospital. Minister of Health Dr. Jiko Luveni, members of the Fiji Island Hotel and Tourism Association – Coral Coast Chapter, and representatives from the Outrigger on the Lagoon – Fiji, the Hideaway Resort, The Warwick, The Naviti Resort & Spa, and Shangri La’s Fijian Resort and Spa were in attendance.

The Accident & Emergency Unit is equipped with various wards and dedicated areas that will streamline the hospital’s operations and enable them to provide patients with the highest level of service.

The new unit was made possible because of the Health and Safety Fund. The resorts - Outrigger on the

The new Accident & Emergency Unit at Sigatoka Hospital

Lagoon - Fiji, Hideaway Resort, The Warwick, The Naviti Resort & Spa, and Shangri La’s Fijian Resort and Spa have raised in total over $1 million for various community projects, many of them for Sigatoka hospital. The funds were raised primarily from donations by tourists staying at the resorts.

The Health and Safety Fund has donated funds to many important projects including:

• Construction of an eye clinic and a dental clinic
• Construction of a new pharmacy department area
• New accommodations for the medical staff
• Installation of air conditioning for two bed units at Korolevu Health Centre
• Refurbishing of a building shared by the Fiji Police and Saint John Ambulance
• Donation of beds

In his remarks Dr. Luveni said, “The staff of the Ministry of Health will now be able to provide quality emergency services from a well-equipped, “top of the range” facility, not only to our people locally, but also to our guests from abroad. In the month of October, there were 1,226 cases seen at the Emergency Department — 24 were visitors to Fiji. We must commend all the people who have been involved and have contributed to the realization of this wonderful achievement.”