According to local media reports, chemotherapy drugs for children cost more than $29,000 (FJ$40,000). Photo: 123RF
Fiji Cancer Society chief executive says newly diagnosed cancer patients are being told they must purchase their own chemotherapy medications - or go without treatment entirely.
Belinda Chan claims Aspen Medical, the private operator managing Lautoka and Ba hospitals in the Western Division on Fiji's main island, is charging newly diagnosed cancer patients for essential medications.
Fiji records more than 1400 new cancer cases annually, making cancer one of the top causes of deaths in the country. According to local media reports, chemotherapy drugs for children cost more than $29,000 (FJ$40,000).
The Fiji Cancer Society has previously highlighted shortages of chemotherapy drugs and stepped in to support with medications when hospital stocks are depleted.
In a Facebook post, Chan said cancer patients in the Western Division are being told: "Purchase or go without."
"This isn't just a policy failure-it's a slap in the face to every Fijian who believed in Universal Health Coverage. The National Development Plan promised better healthcare. What we're seeing is abandonment," she wrote on Wednesday.
"We've watched dedicated doctors and nurses weather the transition from [the Ministry of health and Medical Services] to Health Care (Fiji) Pte Ltd (Aspen Medical), holding the line for their patients. But now, the system is asking the sickest among us to shoulder the cost of survival."
She called the situation "cruel", "unjust" and "not the Fiji we fight for".
She said the Fiji Cancer Society has been working quietly behind the scenes - supporting clinicians, building networks, sourcing help.
"But we cannot stay quiet while lives are priced out of treatment. [The Health Ministry] and the Government must answer: What happened to Universal Health Coverage? What happened to your promises?"
In a news statement, the Health Ministry said: "Contrary to recent reports, the Ministry of Health & Medical Services will continue to serve newly diagnosed cancer patients that will be admitted or treated as outpatients at both the Lautoka and Ba Hospital. Arrangements were already in place to ensure there is continuum of care for cancer patients at these hospitals."
