FIJI MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
FIJI MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Wednesday 2nd September, 2020
Dear Members
Bula Vinaka,
Namaste, Assalamo-alaikum and Noa’ia e mau’ri. Following the Suva Mini-conference on the 25th
of July, 2020, the West Mini-Conference was recently held on the 29th
of August, 2020 at the prestigious Radisson Blue Resort in Denarau. To put it
mildly, it was by far the best organized in terms of the location, organization
and content. It was run like a well-tuned Swiss watch and all the participants
thoroughly enjoyed the conference. Just like the Suva Mini-Conference, it was a
moment of catharsis for all the participants who attended. Most members also
brought along their family members and in addition to an excellent conference,
they were able to spend some quality time with friends and family which helped
them unwind. The format was similar to the Suva Mini-Conference but it
certainly had a Western flavor which started off with a bang in the form of a
debate based on Fiji’s response to COVID-19. The whole aim of the debate
focusing on Fiji’s response to COVID-19 was to take stock of what we did well
and identify areas in which we can improve. The objectives of the debate were
achieved in spades as the debaters, plus the audience was able to thrash out
many issues that may not have otherwise been addressed. We are planning on
forwarding the resolutions from this debate to the Ministry of Health to help
aid their armamentarium in the ongoing battle against COVID-19.
The middle
session highlighted a very pertinent issue which is “Professional
responsibility on Social Media”. We have to accept and embrace that our world
is evolving and that social media plays a dominant part in our lives. It has
numerous good qualities however it does come with certain caveats as well. The
audience was given a master-class on the proper usage of social media and its
implications and ramifications if one deviates from the purpose it is intended.
Doubts and queries were addressed and we were all wiser in terms of how to be
social media savvy. The final session was an excellent mix of clinical topics,
protocols and even challenging the status quo of health care delivery in Fiji.
One talk that really stood out for me personally was by our Executive council
member Dr. Ahmed Shakeel Shariff who spoke on bridging the gap between Public
and Private Health Care. He was able to articulate and provide real time
solutions which are sensible and measures that can be instituted immediately.
We must accept the fact that to deliver quality health care, you need a lot of
resources and resources cost money. We also agree that health care is a basic
human right and must be available universally to all citizens. We are thankful
that we have a Government that has this vision and commitment but we must also
acknowledge the fact that the Government cannot achieve this single-handedly.
Collaboration with the Private sector is vital and as Dr. Shariff’s talk
articulated beautifully, the solutions do not need to be complicated. Rather,
on the contrary, we need to utilize the immense potential in terms of resources
and expertise that is available right now in the private sector by engaging in
some meaningful dialogue. I believe we need to set up a think tank with the
right advisors, the right people with vision and patriotism who can and will be
able to provide sound advice and guidance in actualizing our ultimate goal of
quality health care for all. Let us hope, that these discussions that we are
having in our conferences, are taken heed of by the powers that be and the
suggestions and recommendations are given consideration. Fiji has many
visionary Doctors who have a deep understanding of how to change our struggles
to glory and the challenge is listening and embracing these individuals if we
truly want to make a difference.
Our final
mini-conference in the North will be during the last week of October. We are
keen on continuing the same robust themes and getting maximal participation
from our North-based members. We will advise on the updates in terms of the
exact venue and dates as we confirm the logistics. As is true in any war, the
battlers do not have endless reserves of energy and we must all be cognizant of
this fact in our ongoing war against COVID-19.
We must, as colleagues, look after each as well as ourselves and work
smart. Learn to take short, power-breaks and re-charge the batteries so that we
can all finish this marathon with all our respective heads held up high.
Vinaka vakalevu,
Khuda Hafiz, Daniyabaad and Fa’eksia
Dr Basharat Munshi
President
Fiji
Medical Association