The Ministry of Health and Medical Services is planning to convert more nursing stations into full health centres, while also relocating some facilities to new sites.

Minister for Health Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu told Parliament that the government has allocated funding for preliminary work required to upgrade nursing stations and improve service delivery in remote communities.

“In terms of plans, yes, there are plans to convert nursing stations to health centres, there are plans to relocate nursing stations to new sites,” Dr Lalabalavu said.

He said the funding would be used as seed funding for initial preparatory works, including upgrades and relocation projects.

However, Dr Lalabalavu stressed that a nursing station cannot simply be renamed a health centre without meeting specific requirements.

“There are certain criteria that must be met in ensuring that a nursing station can be upgraded to a health centre, and if it is upgraded, at which health centre level it is upgraded to,” he said.

Health centres are classified into Levels A, B and C, with the appropriate level determined by factors including population size, geographical isolation and the services required in the area.

Dr Lalabalavu said geographical isolation was an important consideration, particularly for communities such as Rotuma.

“For instance, Rotuma, which is very far, and even though it has a population reportedly less than Rabi, it is a Subdivisional Hospital,” he said.

He said several nursing stations had already been upgraded, including Soso Nursing Station in Kadavu, Galoa Nursing Station in Serua-Namosi, and Naboubuco Nursing Station in the interior of Naitasiri.

Lomaivuna and Namara nursing stations are also providing services at a level comparable to health centre operations, with nursing practitioners providing care.

The Minister said the government was also looking at establishing new nursing stations in areas where there are gaps in access to health services.

Dr Lalabalavu said upgrading a nursing station required more than improvements to the clinical facility.

He said adequate storage capacity, additional space for medicines and proper living quarters for health workers must also be considered.

The Minister said some facilities had previously been upgraded in name only, without the necessary infrastructure to support doctors and nurses.

“When we came in, we have seen that most of the facilities, they have been upgraded from nursing stations to health centres. They were just in name,” Dr Lalabalavu said.

“There was no accommodating living quarters for the doctors and the nurses.”