World Oxygen Day
As the world celebrated World Oxygen Day on Wednesday, October 2nd, Cure Kids Fiji, in collaboration with the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services continues to highlight the message that “No one should die for lack of oxygen.”
Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) Medical Superintendent Dr. Luke Nasedra highlighted the importance of partnerships when it comes to delivering what is promised to the people of Fiji.
He shared that this year marked the 2nd year of the World Health Organization (WHO) commemorating October 2nd as World Oxygen Day.
“I would like to thank the Divisional Oxygen Coordinators, Divisional Oxygen Biomedical Engineers and the staff of Fiji Pharmaceutical & Biomedical Services (FPBS) and Cure Kids for making sure that we continue to deliver what we have promised and to reach the target that “No one should die for lack of oxygen,” he said.
“Our primary goal is to ensure that oxygen is accessible, and right now, some homes are benefiting from it. Patients and their families are realising the impact of our team’s efforts as they use oxygen concentrators at home, for which we are truly grateful.”
Cure Kids Fiji Country Manager, Dr. Jimaima Kailawadoko says the journey of the Fiji Oxygen Programme has been rewarding.
“The progress made in this programme has had a remarkable impact within the Ministry and across Fiji. It’s been incredible to witness this journey—from a small group of individuals to the extensive support we provided during COVID and further to today. The services supported from solar installations at health facilities with no reliable access to power and the expansion into home loans are encouraging signs of its commitment,” she said.
Dr. Jimaima highlighted that the work done by the Fiji Oxygen Programme “isn’t just for ourselves; we recognize that it’s for the benefit of our nation.”
“We’re fortunate to have such dedicated team members who truly care about our mission. While the journey hasn’t always been easy, we’ve met many individuals along the way and learned the critical importance of oxygen access. Supporting this need for our small island nation is a beautiful experience.”
She added that, Wednesday’s celebration was to “celebrate the milestones we’ve achieved, which serves as motivation to look toward the future and explore how we can further support this programme.”
To date the programme has solarised a total of 11 health facilities across Fiji with 3 in the eastern division, 6 in the northern division, and 2 in the western division. It has supported treatment for over 80,000 individuals and distributed 118 oxygen concentrators (central division-46, eastern division – 12, northern division – 20, western division – 40) across Fiji as well as facilitated home oxygen therapy for 38 patients.
Dr. Nasedra further added that bigger projects are on the horizon, and anticipation is building for the oxygen plant in Labasa, which we hope will be completed soon.
“We want to extend our gratitude to the team as we push forward with additional solar sites and the training provided to all staff.”
Dr. Nasedra also acknowledged the invaluable support from partners, the University of Auckland and solar engineers at Azimut 360 in Barcelona, Spain for their contributions towards the programme.