Fiji's Prime Minister says the establishment of health clinics in Fiji should be prioritised in remote areas, rather than just in towns and cities.
Speaking at a rally in New Zealand, Rear Admiral Frank Bainimarama said caregivers need to change their attitudes to the way they treat patients.
He says the siting of nursing stations is based on population density, but health authorities need to rethink the approach and build facilities where the sick don't need to travel so far.
"Some of these people don't seem to realise that in the rural areas, you come by boat for two hours, and get on a horse for one hour and get onto the road, hoping there's a car there that will take you to the medical centre. So that's what we're trying to do, we're trying to build health facilities in areas which need health facilities because of geography, not so much because of population."
Rear Admiral Frank Bainimarama says currently the government pays to bring mothers to give birth in the major centres, eventually mothers should be able to give birth closer to home.
