Press Release

The Tobacco Control Unit of the Ministry of Health and Medical services has booked 45 offenders from 15^th – 19^th June in the western division for breaching the tobacco control decree.

The enforcement officers mobilized in the division to monitor the illicit trade and use of tobacco products.

19 retailers were charged for failure to display a ‘no smoking’ sign within their retailing area, while 15 were charged for failure to place a clear and prominent notice inside their retail outlet notifying the public they do not sell tobacco products to any person under the age of 18-years old.

Furthermore, 3 retailers were charged for selling cigarette rolls and 9 people were caught smoking in prohibited public places.

The offenders were served with notices to pay fines ranging from $200.00 to $1000.00 for smoking in public places and the illicit trade of tobacco products respectively.

People who fail to pay the fines will end up serving time in prison.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services has issued numerous reminders to the public about the tobacco decree, and any breach of that will result in prosecution.

As tobacco contributes to the high prevalence of NCD rates in the country, the Tobacco Control Unit has effectively introduced strategies to combat the burden of disease in the country.

These strategies include increasing taxes on tobacco products, creating public awareness on the deadly effects of smoking, and declaring tobacco-free zones.

Meanwhile, Fiji was presented with WHO’s 2015 global ‘World No Tobacco Day’ award for continuous work done in the prevention and control of cigarette smoking.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services cookbook ‘Khana Kakana’ has placed healthy Fijian food in the global spotlight after winning second place for best health and nutrition cookbook in the world at the 2015 Gourmand Cookbook Awards.
The International Gourmand Cookbook Awards are the food world’s version of the Oscar Awards, and Khana Kakana competed against the best cookbooks in the world from 205 countries. 92 countries made it to the shortlist along with Khana Kakana. Seven top health and nutrition cookbooks were shortlisted from Canada, the UK, Malaysia, Oman, the Netherlands and Sweden.These cookbooks covered a wealth of healthy topics from foods from obesity prevention to brain and eye health.

Despite this tough competition, Khana Kakana placed second thanks to its focus on healthy eating using local Fijian produce. First place went to a creative cookbook from Sweden which contains beautiful photography and specialized recipes for people with stomas.

Khana Kakana encourages Fijians to eat simple, healthy and affordable meals that use locally grown seasonal produce.

The Hon. Minister for Health and Medical Services, Mr Jone Usamate said “The cookbook has a uniquely healthy Fijian flavor, made up of recipes by both renowned chefs and local Fijians from around the country using fresh, local and affordable ingredients. With nutrition advice snippets and gardening tips, the cookbook provides a total diet solution and inspiration for all Fijians”.

“These efforts are not only improving the health of Fijians and building pride in our foods, but also changing the agricultural and tourism sector as demand for Fijian grown produce increases”.

The Ministry hopes that these efforts will instill a sense of pride in Fijian food and encourage more people to choose healthy local foods to prevent from developing non-communicable diseases.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services would like to thank all Fijians and organisations involved in the making of Khana Kakana, including the Australian Government, the Australian and Fijian Red Cross, Fiji Health Sector Support Program and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.
Meanwhile the cookbook is being distributed throughout Fiji free of charge by Ministry dieticians, doctors and nurses. It can also be found on the Ministry’s website at www.health.gov.fj and Facebook page.

The Ministry of Health & Medical Services has identified that there is an urgent need to screen Fijians for Diabetes and Hypertension. This is part of the National NCD screening programme which focuses of the over-30 population.

This is necessary to detect and determine their behavioral risk factors, including blood sugar, blood pressure and BMI (height and weight). This knowledge allows people to take better control of their health and manage their risk factors.

July is Wellness Month, with the theme Don’t Delay, Get Checked Today. During 2015, the Health Ministry is targeting a population of 90,000 people for screening.

Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) are an increasing problem for Fiji both in terms of increasing economic and social burden.

The last STEPS survey (2011) found that 30% of Fijians are Diabetic, 31% are Hypertensive.

35% are overweight and 32% are obese. These alarming figures are caused by the changing lifestyles of many Fijians towards unhealthy habits and behaviors. There is a diabetes related amputation every 12.6 hours in Fiji with half of those patients unaware that they are diabetic.

The four major risk factors (lifestyle related and modifiable) are smoking, unhealthy eating habits leading to overweight and obesity, alcohol abuse and lack of physical activity abbreviated as SNAP. Common NCDs are Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases (hypertension, strokes, and Heart attacks), cancers and chronic respiratory diseases. These four NCDs cause up to 80% of premature deaths and disabilities in Fiji. Furthermore, Heart disease is the biggest killer in Fiji at this time.

The National Advisor for Non Communicable Diseases Dr Isimeli Tukana said, “One area that the Health Ministry is focusing on is the orientation towards wellness. This aims at incorporating everyone towards a healthy and productive living. Without change in behavior or habit, NCDs will remain a growing concern”.

All Fijians are urged to engage in a healthy lifestyle to combat NCDs. To achieve this, it is important to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, drink at least 10-12 glasses of water, and do 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each day and also to avoid smoking, alcohol and kava consumption.

The NCD Unit in Lautoka, in collaboration with Lautoka City Council, has commenced community dance classes every Wednesday afternoon at Shirley Park from 5 – 6.15pm. The initiative aims to encourage and motivate local citizens to engage in regular physical activity to reduce their risk of developing NCDs.

Based in Shirley Park, the location allows for a large, open and central space for local citizens to exercise in natural surroundings. The Lautoka City Council has kindly donated the grounds for free, allowing a lower price ($2 per person) for people to participate, whilst free health screenings are available periodically by the Ministry of Health staff.