20 May 2009

Fiji seeks 14 foreign specialist doctors

3:14 pm on 20 May 2009

The Ministry of Health in Fiji is set to fulfil its target of filling 14 vacant medical specialist positions by recruiting foreign doctors.

The Health Minister Dr Neil Sharma will travel to India to interview doctors next week in the hope of filling the positions by August.

The acting medical superintendent of Lautoka hospital Dr Jemesa Tudravu says medical shortages are mainly at senior level and any additional expatriate senior doctors will improve health services and the performance of junior doctors.

"Firstly their skill level is important to us right now. We need input at expertise level and secondly we need them for training for our younger doctors who are coming through. So for us we will be utilising them in training, upskilling our people here as well as actually providing expert services."

Dr Tudravu says he is optimistic that one day there will be more than enough medical professionals in Fiji for hospitals to pick and choose from.