Suva (Fiji), 3-5 June 2024 – UNODC in collaboration with WHO South Pacific Office in Fiji and with the support of the Fiji Cancer society conducted the first stakeholder meeting on access to controlled medicines for palliative care. This meeting was an opportunity to present the results of the UNODC desk review on the current situation regarding palliative care in Fiji.
Statistics show a significant proportion of serious health suffering to be secondary to cancer in Fiji. With high rates of cancer, the need for a quality palliative care system, that incorporates controlled medicines, is highlighted.
The stakeholder meeting was conducted in order to review and facilitate recommendations for a national palliative care plan. As part of this session, challenges were identified including the procurement of medicines, educational and research gaps, resource deficiencies, policies, poor service provisions, and a need for increased community empowerment.
While facilitating discussions among policy makers is at the core of UNODC activities, increasing capacity of health professionals is also a main pillar of UNODC interventions. Consequently, the stakeholder meeting was followed by a 2-day capacity-building training for health professionals. Lack of knowledge about the use of opioids and misconceptions related to controlled medicines for pain management and palliative care remains as a barrier in adequate access to these medicines. The capacity-building training provided a ground for interactive discussions, data and sharing of best practices among health professionals.
This series of activities was one of a series of UNODC interventions to support Fiji in its national efforts to ensure access to and availability of controlled medicines.
