Hospitals in chaos as Fiji battles COVID-19 hell

Pacific island nation’s hospitals are overwhelmed and people are struggling as government hopes vaccination will offer way out.

Suva, Fiji – Fiji’s spiralling COVID-19 crisis reached a terrifying new milestone this month, as the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the country’s spread of infection was one of the highest in the world. With more than 200 dead – including three pregnant women and a 15-year-old – there have been more than 27,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country since the current outbreak began in April this year. Actual numbers are estimated to be much higher. With a total population of fewer than 900,000 people, Fiji is surrounded by vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean that often present enormous logistical challenges even under normal conditions. The largest medical facility in the country, the Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital in Suva, is under-resourced at the best of times, with much of its infrastructure dating back to 1923.