Free medical services offered at the Ba and Lautoka Hospitals may have to be reduced and patients may have to pay for more complex treatments, says Deputy Prime Minister Professor Biman Prasad.

He highlighted this while pointing out irregularities in the Health Care Fiji Pte Limited agreement while delivering the 2024-2025 Budget in Parliament last week.

Prof Prasad said Australian firm Aspen Medical got a 20% stake and Fiji National Provident Fund, 80% to form Health Care Fiji Pte Ltd, with FNPF ordered to sign up by the FijiFirst government without being allowed time to review its economic viability.

“What we all understand is that, in order for the project to be affordable, the scope of the free medical services available to the public will have to be reduced,” the Deputy PM said.

“We have no choice in that. We anticipate that the higher levels of care such as more complex treatments, surgeries, etc, will have to be funded in a different way.

“We may have to introduce user pay or means testing rules for those higher levels of service.

“FNPF has concluded that, regardless of the way it came into this project, it will have to stay in and work out the best way to get a commercial return on it.

“FNPF is now actively reviewing its own options. This may include a scheme to provide health insurance to its own members. If an economic case can be made for this, such a scheme could provide additional business for Lautoka Hospital, with resulting benefits to the project and to the whole country.”