Last Updated on 9 years by Publishing Team

No shortage of syringes and needles

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services advises the public that there is currently no shortage of needles and syringes at Makoi or any other health centres in Suva.

There are sufficient syringes and needles for nurses to provide injections of vaccine and antibiotics.

Diabetic patients treated with insulin are trained to use syringes and needles for this purpose.

Pharmacists dispense insulin free of charge to patients based on a prescription by the doctor but do not necessarily dispense syringes and needles.

Furthermore, needles and syringes are commonly used by trained Nursing staff to provide medication.

Children who are insulin dependent or young diabetic patients are provided with syringes and needles for their parents to administer medication until adulthood, after some training by doctors/nurses on their proper use and disposal.  Similarly at the Nuffield clinic, according to pharmacists and the medical officer in charge, there is no lack of dressings at the health centre.

Therefore the nurses do not need to ask the patients to bring their own dressings to the clinic although they may ask for the patient to return for further review and dressing as per their doctor’s prescribed order.

Patients often request for a plaster or dressing from the nurses to take home to do their own dressing, but their request may be refused largely because the wound should be reviewed at the health centre to ensure it is healing well.