Two bills passed in Parliament on increased medical and pharmacy services

Two bills aimed at ensuring that there is better and increased medical and pharmacy services have been passed by parliament.

Sayed Khaiyum tabled the Medical and Dental Practitioner Amendment Bill which amended the act to empower the Minister to exempt medical or dental practitioners who have acquired the necessary qualifications, skills and experience in their respective medical fields from general or temporary registration.

The Attorney General says under the current act, a person who has not previously been registered in Fiji and whose application for registration has been accepted is granted a provisional registration for 4 months during which the person must be supervised by a designated medical or dental practitioner.

This is also for temporary registrations.

However this is problematic and time consuming for medical practices and hospitals that intend to provide medical services urgently to patients, particularly to those patients who have to travel to other countries to receive medical treatment that can be provided in Fiji by such medical or dental practitioners.

Sayed Khaiyum stresses that the bill will also help Fiji meet medical and dental requirements in the private and public health systems.

SODELPA and NFP parliamentarians opposed the bill, saying that it was being fast tracked and the bringing in of people without the necessary registrations will not reduce sicknesses or deaths.

Employment Minister Jone Usamate says it is a bill which is pro life and raised the question whether the opposition is pro life or pro death.

SODELPA MP Viliame Gavoka says they are pro life but they want the bill referred to the parliamentary committee for a full assessment and consultations.

He says this type of system may open up the door to more overseas specialists and expatriates.

Meanwhile Opposition MP Semesa Karavaki opposed the motion to debate on the bill saying that there is no urgent need to fast track the bill.

Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says there is no proper basis for the Opposition’s request for more time to go through the bill.

He says the bill is simple to understand.

29 MPs voted for the bill, 11 voted against it while 10 did not vote.

The second proposed law that was passed in parliament last night was the Pharmacy Profession Amendment Bill.

The current act provides that a pharmacy business can only be owned by, subject to the fulfillment of the criteria set out in the provision, a registered pharmacist or registered pharmacists.

Sayed Khaiyum says this limits the ownership of pharmacy businesses and does not allow other entities or bodies such as private hospitals that provide medical services, to own and operate pharmacy businesses.

The Pharmacy Profession Bill amends the act to allow licensees of private hospitals to own or have proprietary interests in pharmacy businesses in Fiji. This bill was unanimously passed by parliament.