March 10, 2022
Fiji First has outsourced the governance of our nation
The Fiji First Party seems to have outsourced the governance of our nation to a cabal of businessmen that has led to a serious erosion of the principles of transparency and accountability as well as resulted in a decay of service delivery in fundamental sectors, said National Federation Party Leader Professor Biman Prasad.
Professor Prasad said after 15 years of failure the government’s desperation is clear as it fears being booted out at the polls.
He said 15 years of failure has seen MRI scanners, catheterization (cath) lab and other sophisticated medical equipment ignored, leading to their breakdown and depriving people of essential medical services.
Professor Prasad made the comment following the latest announcement of government’s decision to outsource the maintaining of biomedical services to the private sector. This has been revealed by the Economy Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum during one of his virtual consultations on the revised 2021-22 Budget.
He said it is clear from what the Economy Minister said that maintenance of biomedical services doesn’t mean only servicing the equipment in the public health and medical sector but the private sector taking over and providing services such as MRI, CT and ultrasound scans and x-rays.
The NFP Leader said biomedical services also includes anaesthetics and clinical or testing laboratories and questioned if these too are to be outsourced.
He said instead of governing, the Fiji First government has now cemented its reputation as a government bereft of sound ideas and practical solutions that are workable.
“The grass growing on the walls of CWM Hospital is the most shameful reminder of how this government has brought the sound delivery of public health and medical care to its knee”.
“While delivering the 2021-22 budget, the Economy Minister announced for the umpteenth time that the public private partnership was finally taking off the ground in respect of Lautoka and Ba hospitals”.
“8 months into the budget financial year, there are no signs of this happening. The Lautoka Hospital, once the pride of Fiji, remains an eyesore. The new Ba hospital continues to gather dust”.
“Incredulously, the Minister now announces a new plan of privatising biomedical services with no consideration to those already employed in our medical facilities, how much this move will cost the taxpayers and whether patients will have to fork out money”.
“The nation is already witnessing the pathetic state of service delivery by government institutions given autonomy. The most painful examples are the Fiji Roads Authority and Water Authority of Fiji”.
“Close to $5 billion was allocated to both these organisations in budgets over the last ten years. The results are disastrous”.
“Our roads are littered with potholes and resemble craters on the moon. Road slips are yet to be restored for more than a year in some cases, to name a few”.
“The constant supply of clean and safe water under WAF has become a rarity especially in the Lami to Nausori corridor, which happens to be the most densely populated area in Fiji”.
“Wednesday evening’s power outage, which was at the most for two hours, is being blamed for the latest water cut and malfunction of the Savura and Waimanu raw water pumping stations”.
“So it is fair to say that Fiji First has outsourced the governance of our nation to a cabal of businessmen who don’t give a damn to the livelihood of our people”.