Ditoka queries $30m facility

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The Navosa Sub Divisional Hospital. Picture: FILE

IS this the best bank for the buck? Rural and Maritime Development Minister Sakiasi Ditoka asked this of the $30 million Navosa Sub-divisional Hospital in Keyasi built by the FijiFirst government.

In an interview on The Fiji Times online news portal The Lens @ 177, he questioned the need for spending taxpayer dollars on the facility and said that would have been money better spent on upgrading the Sigatoka Hospital.

“If someone had done the research, they would have found that Navosa has some of the really healthiest people in Fiji,” Mr Ditoka said.

“Maybe they should have focused more on developing the Sigatoka Hospital, and maybe just ambulance services between Navosa and Sigatoka, and maybe just develop a good health centre in Navosa.

“Because at the moment they have probably about two or three people being hospitalised in Navosa for over a few months period, for most of the time, the hospital in Navosa is empty.

“Is this the best bank for the buck, as far as taxpayers are concerned?”

Mr Ditoka said the Coalition Government was not rushing into projects because everything they would roll out would be carefully thought out first.

“I think what is most important at the moment is the Integrated Rural Development Framework that had already been initiated with the previous administration.

“It is something that we decided to carry on. For some time, it appeared to have taken the backseat and we would like to take it up again – this is to make sure that all the ministries of government work together in integrating how we do things in the rural areas.

“Meaning we come and sit together and see how aligned our programs are, it just reduces the implications on duplication of effort and the effects it will have on the national economy.

“We haven’t jumped in straight away to do work and throw money at solutions because we find that when we do that, it actually can be detrimental to the whole process.

“So we’re working towards the best advantage to the people and to the taxpayers.”