Healthcare workers' exodus to continue over the next 5-10 years – Dr Tudravu

As nurses continue to leave Fiji for better opportunities, Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor Jemesa Tudravu says they will continue to experience some of the issues of healthcare workers' exodus over the next 5 to 10 years.

While making submissions to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Affairs on the Ministry’s 2015-2021 annual reports, Doctor Tudravu says some of the measures that the government has approved in terms of addressing some of the salary discrepancies that existed have had an effect.

He says it has reduced the attrition rate amongst healthcare workers so it has come down but it is still not back to pre-COVID level as they are still losing healthcare workers.

The Permanent Secretary says other countries are also losing healthcare workers so there is a market for healthcare workers from Fiji and the Pacific to move into when they go abroad.

He says they are hoping that as the number of healthcare workers globally and in the region stabilises, that will help to improve the situation in the country.

Dr Tudravu adds the World Health Organisation has estimated that the global shortage of healthcare workers will reduce from 15 million in 2020 to 10 million in 2030 and it's a reduction but it's still a gap.

Minister for Health Doctor Atonio Lalabalavu has earlier said that with more than 200 nurses graduating soon, this will provide some relief.

Meanwhile, discussions with the Ministry of Health, the Fiji Nurses Association and the Ministry of Labour continue after the Association filed grievances regarding pay and other issues.