Press Release

The Minister of Health and Medical Services, Hon. Jone Usamate rounded off a successful tour to India with discussions for a fully funded program training program for our doctors in the Republic of Korea.

The Hon Minister met with the senior officials of the Sunny Korea Welfare Foundation at the Fijian Embassy Office in Seoul with the Fiji delegates returning home via Korea after their 11 days tour of India from the 28^th of February to the 10^th of March.

Sunny Korea Welfare Foundation is a charity organization in South Korea founded by Mr. Yujin Kreves who has helped many children in Asian countries with heart diseases to live a quality life.

The Sunny Korea Welfare Foundation have proposed to the Minister; a fully sponsored trip for two to three Fijians doctors to be trained in medical institutions in the area of heart disease prevention, heart disease diagnosis and heart surgery.

Sunny Korea Welfare Foundation has also offered a proposal for a medical camp in Fiji and surgery intervention in South Korea for Fijian children who have congenital heart diseases.

Hon. Usamate responded that the generous offer from Sunny Korea Welfare Foundation has brought rays of sun to the Fijian medical fraternity by increasing their skills and knowledge on heart diseases and especially to our children who are suffering from congenital heart diseases.

He said he will see to it that this proposal with the Sunny Korea Welfare Foundation will come to fruition when he returns home.

The Minister of Health and Medical Services, Honorable Mr Jone Usamate, met his Indian Government counterpart, Honorable Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda – Minister of Health and Family Welfare in Delhi this week to lead discussions in health sector as a follow-up on the bi-lateral matters discussed during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Fiji in November last year.

The Hon. Minister Nadda, with his high-ranking officials of the Ministry, warmly welcomed Minster Usamate and the High Commissioner and stated that his Ministry was keen to support Fiji on the priority areas of need in medical care.

Minister Usamate in his opening comments expressed his appreciation to the Minister and the Government of India for the support India had provided to Fiji over the years. He further said that Fiji and India had a historical 135-year relation and looked forward to seek assistance from India’s world-class medical expertise. He provided an overview on the extension work done to the infrastructure at the CWM Hospital where additional operating theaters were built. He further explained that the extension and new technologies enabled various types of heart surgeries associated with cardiovascular diseases and other complex surgeries accomplish in Fiji. Minister Usamate also thanked the Indian Government for assistance given by the Government of India in the past, such as ambulances, boilers, and medical equipment.

He further said that the meeting was an important one as both ministers needed to renew the objectives of the Memorandum of Agreement that was signed between the two countries. He further said that Fiji would be hosting the Second Joint Working Group Meeting in the first half of the year with India’s Ministry of Health and family Welfare.

The landmark meeting between the two Ministers had many important agendas discussed including establishing an institutional collaboration with India’s Premium medical Institution – All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS). The delegates from Fiji included, the High Commissioner of Fiji to India, Mr Yogesh Karan, Chief Pharmacist, Mr Apolosi Vosanibola, First Secretary Mr. Sakeasi Waikere, and the Second Secretary Mr. Om Prakash.

Moreover, Hon. Usamate briefed Minister Nadda on Fiji’s keen interest in Traditional Medicine and the Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy (ISM&H) stating that he will be initiating discussions from his Ministry through Fiji’s Mission in New Delhi. Fiji’s High Commissioner to India, Yogesh Karan, said that Fiji’s request for a quota-system every year where Fijian students could study medicine in top Indian medical universities on self-funding basis was also discussed at the meeting. He added that Hon. Usamate requested to the Government of India if Fiji could be given an allocation for 3-5 seats initially for undergraduate and specialized medical studies at postgraduate level. Karan further stated that follow-up discussion would be held with Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Health in India in the forthcoming weeks.

The Hon. Minister Nadda expressed his Ministry’s willingness to assist Fiji and assured Hon Usamate that his ministry would hold discussions with Ministry of External Affairs on Fiji’s requests once his office receives detailed proposal from Suva.

Minister Usamate later met with the Drugs Controller General of India, Dr G.N. Singh to established collaboration on drug pharmacopeia standards being used in India and other technical support that Fiji could benefit from the world largest supplier of the finished generic medicine products.

These are the private pharmacies where the “Free Medicine Program” recipients can visit.

Meet the Honorable Assistant Minister for Health & Medical Services Mrs. Veena Bhatnagar in the western division. The Assistant Minister Mrs. Bhatnagar will be present to listen to feedback from the public on health issues, complaints and suggestions.

PUBLIC NOTICE TO ALL HEALTH & MEDICAL SERVICES STAFF

NATIONAL REGISTRATION
THE GOVERNMENT OF FIJI FREE MEDICINE PROGRAM

One of the FijiFirst Government’s top priorities is to provide price controlled medicines free of charge to all Fijians who earn less than $20,000 a year. Accordingly, the 2015 Budget announced by the Attorney General and Minister for Finance allocated $8.0 million for the Free Medicine Program (‘Initiative’).

Who is eligible?

Individuals who can benefit from this program are:

• Individuals with an annual income of less than $20,000

Fijians who intend to be part of this Free Medicine Initiative are required to have a Tax Identification Number (‘TIN’) which will be the primary form of screening income eligibility.

Who does not have to register?

Individuals who already have a TIN number, Social Welfare number or Health ID are not required to register as they would already be included in the program.

Current social welfare recipients of Poverty Benefit Scheme, Child Protection Allowance, Social Pension and Bus Fare subsidy do not need to obtain a TIN but can use their existing welfare ID Cards for this purpose.

How the program works

As of 1 January 2015, all eligible Fijians will be able to access price controlled medicines that has been prescribed by a licensed medical practitioner (Government Hospital and Private Hospital) free of charge from any Government Pharmacy and/or selected private pharmacies.

All eligible Fijians can provide such prescriptions to any Government Pharmacy and/ or selected private pharmacies and upon presentation of valid ID will be able to access the selected medicines free of charge.

How to register

For this reason, Registration Forms will be available in the following areas, at all Divisional Hospital, Sub Divisional Hospital and main Health Centres.

All eligible Fijians intending to register for this Initiative are to bring the following documentation to the areas mentioned above:

• Original or Certified Copy of Birth Certificate (Full Extract);
• Marriage Certificate if you are using or wish to use your married name;
• FNPF Member ID or any other form of valid photo identification such as the Electronic Voter Registration (EVR)card, Driving License or Passport.
• In the absence of a photo ID, eligible Fijians may submit a passport size photo certified by a Justice of Peace, Provincial Administrator, Commissioner for Oaths, Advisory/Provincial Councilors, Mata ni Tikina and Civil Servants above Principal level.

For further clarification please contact the Chief Pharmacist for the medicines supplies avosanibola@govnet.gov.fj and MHMS IT Office for registration activities rajneshwar.prasad01@health.gov.fj

Click here to get the list of Private Pharmacies New

Click here to download the list of Free Medicines New

Click here to download National Registration Requirements

Click here to download the Free Medicine Registration Form

Click here to download Manual Dispensing Form

Click here to download Free Medicine Requisition Form

Free Medicine Program SOP