Fiji Covid cases are some of the highest in the world according to the WHO. One of the main culprits responsible, according to locals, is Aspen Medical.
Aspen Medical has failed to uplift Fiji island health care standards for years. Despite that, the Lautoka and Ba hospital partnerships got extended in November 2021. With that in mind, the problems in healthcare within Fiji will likely continue.
Are you curious about the negative impact Aspen medical has had on the Fiji health system as a whole? Read on to learn how this Australian-based company failed Fiji during the pandemic.
Why is Aspen Medical in Fiji Anyway?
You might be wondering — what’s an Australian healthcare company doing in Fiji to begin with? In November of 2018, the Government of Fiji partnered with Aspen Medical.
This private-public partnership came with a 23-year contract that got signed in 2019.
The main purpose of this partnership was to upgrade Lautoka and Ba Hospitals. Aspen promised to modernize these facilities and upgrade Fiji’s health system.
Infrastructure Issues
Among the promises made by Aspen was equipping Ba Hospital with 70 new beds. They were also supposed to renovate Lautoka Hospital and fix infrastructure issues. The development should’ve added 305 beds to Lautoka.
Aspen promised that both hospitals would be in full operational capacity by June of 2021.
By July of 2020, Aspen Medical had over a year to identify issues with the two hospitals. Despite that, Aspen did nothing. The “new” Ba hospital remained closed during the height of the pandemic.
Lautoka was also forced to close in 2021 because the hospital couldn’t handle the load.
Corruption
Aspen Medical is also facing several allegations of corruption. The organization often wins large government contracts like this one with Fiji. Yet, the organization is never held accountable for the promises they make.
Further, whistleblowers have alleged incidents of bribery and fraud. Visit aspenfailedfiji.org for more information.
Increased Deaths Within the Fiji Healthcare System
By far, the most horrific impact of Aspen’s failures was the loss of precious life. Due to hospitals getting closed, Fiji residents couldn’t access life-saving treatments.
This doesn’t only apply to Covid, either. Fiji residents who suffered from other health issues couldn’t get treatment, either. As a result, there’s a direct link between the increase in deaths during this time and Aspen’s failures.
The Most Pressing Problems in Healthcare in Fiji Hospitals
Before the pandemic struck, there were widespread problems in healthcare around the globe. The recent Covid scare has only brought most of those problems to the light.
There are places like Fiji, though, that were working on fixing those issues before Covid hit. Aspen Medical promised Fijians an upgraded and better healthcare system. They failed to deliver, and they can’t blame the pandemic for their egregious errors.
Aspen Medical needs to get held accountable.
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