UN staff member from Fiji medically evacuated to NZ

A staff member of the United Nations in Fiji is being medically evacuated to Auckland through the assistance of the Fijian and New Zealand Governments.

Fijivillage has received confirmation that it is a COVID-19 related medical evacuation and the person was admitted in hospital for a few days.

UN Resident Coordinator, Sanaka Samarasinha says the staff member is on the way to Auckland.

Samarasinha says this is standard practice as they do medical evacuations all the time, even pre-COVID. He says that since May 2020, the UN has conducted around 300 COVID-19 medical evacuations around the world, and this is the first one in the Pacific. Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says the Fijian Health Ministry supports anyone needing medical evacuations. He says the evacuation depends on the green light given by the Government receiving the person to be medically evacuated.