Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says the fact is that climate change has increased health insecurity worldwide, and we now need to climate‑proof our health systems in every way possible.
While speaking at the High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage Bainimarama says Fiji is using the strategic investment to build a healthcare system in which access to quality care is unbound by geography, background or socioeconomic status.
He says their progress is paying dividends, both in realising the constitutional right to health for every Fijian and in advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
He says they are vastly improving the quality and accessibility in preventive, curative and specialised care adding health professionals now enjoy much improved working terms and conditions and can now access an unprecedented range of post‑graduate training and professional development opportunities.
Bainimarama adds through their de-centralised healthcare system, they have placed health workers and infrastructure directly in remote communities, many of which are located on distant islands.
He says their subsidy of overseas travel has put life‑saving care within reach for low‑income families.
He says but these accomplishments, extraordinary as they may be, are all placed at grave risk by the wide‑reaching devastation of climate change.
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