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MPAT TEMPEST EXPRESS (TE) 26

Regional Pandemic Reponses

2-10 April 2015Nouméa, New Caledonia

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Fijian Government First Responders

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Fiji Disaster Management Structures

• Government– National Disaster Management Office

– Ministry of Health

– Ministry of Immigration, National Security and Defence Republic of Fiji Military Forces Fiji Police Force

– Minister for Local Government, Housing and Environment National Fire Authority

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National Disaster Management Office

• Mission : A Safe and Secure Fiji• Vision :

– Building the National Resilience to Disasters.– Building capacity of the National communities by accelerating the implementation

of disaster risk reduction and disaster management policies, planning and programmes to address current and emerging challenges through:

development and strengthening of disaster risk reduction and disaster management, including mitigation, preparedness, response, relief and recovery systems;

integration of disaster risk reduction and disaster management into national sustainable development planning and decision-making processes at all levels (National, Divisional, Provincial, District and Community);

strengthening partnership between all stakeholders in disaster risk reduction and disaster management.

• The NDMO is the coordinating centre of the Fiji Government in times of national disasters. The NDMO operates under the National Disaster Management Act and coordinates the national management of disaster activities through the Ministry of Provincial Development organisation structures at the National level, the Divisional level, the District or Provincial level and to the local and community levels.

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Ministry of Health

• The Ministry of Health is responsible for the following:– Medical services including drug and other supplies, associated with patient care in

urgan– hospitals and health centres, Subdivisional hospitals, Rural Medical and Nursing

Stations;– Research confined to virus control, vector control, filariasis control and surveillance of

AIDS;– Public Health targeted at Maternal/Child Health, Communicable Disease Prevention,

Family Planning, Pollution Control and Rural Health Sefices;– Health Education and Training

• The MoH is the largest player in the health sector, providing health care services directly to citizens of Fiji, and to a limited extent to visitors and persons referred from within the region, through a hierarchy of facilities:

– village/community health workers, – nursing stations, – health centres, – sub-divisional hospitals and – divisional and specialized hospitals.

• This framework was established some 40 years ago to provide health access to all, and has continued to serve the people of Fiji very well. 5

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Fiji Medical Facilities

• The main clinical services are provided through a network of 16 Sub-divisional Hospitals and 3 Divisional Hospitals located in Suva, Lautoka and Labasa that provide a comprehensive range of services. They also serve as teaching hospitals for nursing and medical students. There are 5 subdivisions in Central, 4 in Eastern, 6 in Western and 4 in Northern Divisions.

• The Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWM) in Suva serves as the Divisional Hospital for Central and Eastern Divisions, and also serves as the National Referral Hospital. It is supported by specialist hospitals that include the national St. Giles Psychiatric Hospital, the P.J. Twomey Hospital for tuberculosis and leprosy and the Tamavua Rehabilitation Hospital for specialist rehabilitation services.

• Public health services are provided through the 16 Sub-divisional hospitals (SDH) and the 77 Health Centres (HC) and 101 Nursing Stations (NS). A health centre is essentially an extended nursing station, which provides the initial clinical referral point for a number of nursing stations within a designated SDH supervised medical area. A HC is managed by a Medical Officer or Nurse Practitioner plus 1 or 2 nurses. A NS is generally staffed by one nurse who conducts outreach visits to communities in a designated nursing area. In addition, Community Nursing Stations are facilities that fully operate and function as a nursing station except that they are built and funded by the community themselves on approved based on adherence to the minimum standards of a government station.

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Private Health Sector and NGOs

• A small private sector includes one private hospital in Suva that provides a range of specialized services, several day clinics and 110 private general practitioners located in the urban centres of the two main islands Viti Levu and Vanua Levu.

• There is also a wide and increasing range of health services, including antenatal and postnatal care provided privately through some 120 private practitioners, a private hospital and a range of NGOs.

• The major NGOs working in health in Fiji include– the Fiji Reproductive Health Association– the Fiji Red Cross,– Marie Stopes International– The Fiji Network of People Living with HIV

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Republic of Fiji Military Forces

• The RFMF is made up of the Army and the Naval Force, who are responsible for defence, internal security, international peacekeeping duties, nation building, youth training & infrastructure development in rural areas, protection of Fiji’s 200 mile EEZ, support operations during disasters, emergencies and maritime research and rescue

• Commander - Brigadier Mosese Tikoitoga (2014 - Present)• Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) is the military force of the Pacific island nation of Fiji. With a total manpower of 3,500

active soldiers and 6,000 reservists.• Land Force Command - Land Force Command is the operational organisation of the RFMF, and is responsible for all of the main

units:– HQ Land Force]

– Naval Unit– Fiji Infantry Regiment

Regular Force 1st Battalion 2nd Battalion 3rd Battalion

Territorial Force 4th Battalion 5th Battalion 7th/8th Battalion

– Fiji Engineer Regiment– Logistic Support Unit– Force Training Group

• Links: http://www.rfmf.mil.fj/ 9

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RFMF Disposition

• Regular Force– 1st Battalion, Fiji Infantry Regiment: The 1st Battalion was originally raised in response to the Malayan Emergency,

and conducted operations in the theatre from January 1952 to July 1953 under the command of New Zealander, Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Tinker. The battalion was reformed in 1978, since which it has been permanently deployed on United Nations peacekeeping missions overseas. Until 2002, this was with the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon, following which it returned to Fiji. In December 2004, 1FIR took over as the guard unit to the UNAMI mission in Iraq. The battalion provides a company group of approximately 220 for this task. In addition, it provides troops for the Fijian contingent attached to the UNMIS mission in Sudan.

– 2nd Battalion, Fiji Infantry Regiment: The 2nd Battalion was formed in 1982 when it converted from a TF unit. It has been deployed with the Multinational Force and Observers mission on the Sinai Peninsula ever since.

– 3rd Battalion, Fiji Infantry Regiment: The 3rd Battalion was formed in 1982 as a TF unit to replace the 2nd Battalion following its deployment to Sinai. It became part of the regular force following the 1987 coup. It is the largest of the three regular battalions, and has two main responsibilities:

Providing fresh troops for deployment with the 1st and 2nd battalions. Maintaining the territorial defence of Fiji, specifically for the main island of Viti Levu. 3 FIR provides assistance to Police Team Security and Disaster Response.

• Territorial Force– Each of the three battalions in the territorial force exists as a single regular infantry company, all of which come

under the operational command of the 3rd Battalion. However, all of these can be augmented to full strength with the addition of TF volunteer companies as needed. All of these units were formed following the 1987 coup and the conversion of the 3rd Battalion to regulars:

– 4th Battalion, Fiji Infantry Regiment: It has responsibility for the defence of Nadi airport and the surrounding area.– 5th Battalion, Fiji Infantry Regiment: It has responsibility for the defence of the area around Lautoka, Ba, Tavua,

Vatukaula and Ra.– 7th/8th Battalion, Fiji Infantry Regiment: It has responsibility for the defence of the Vanua Levu region.

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Major RFMF Locations

11Land HQ FIR Support Units Navy

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Fiji Police Force

• Fiji has a unified national police force, the Fiji Police, whose motto is Salus Populi meaning "Health of the People".

• The Fijian Commissioner of Police title is held by South African national, Major General Bernadus Groenewald.

• The Commissioner is appointed in accordance with the Constitution of Fiji, chapter 7, part 4, section 111. Section 111 establishes the office of Commissioner of Police. This official is appointed by the Constitutional Offices Commission, following consultation with the appropriate Cabinet Minister. The Commissioner of Police holds executive and administrative authority over the entire police force, and is answerable only to the Minister in charge. Parliament may, however, make laws regulating the police force.

•Links: http://www.police.gov.fj/

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Fiji Police Force

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National Fire Authority

• Fiji’s National Fire Authority (NFA) is the fire service for both Urban and rural areas within Fiji. Traditionally a fire fighting service, the NFA has recently expanded its role beyond Fire Response and Rescue to provide a broader Emergency Management Service.

• National Fire Authority - Established under the National Fire Services Act, 1994 came into being on 1/2/95. The NFA main priority is the improvement of its services through the procurement of new fire fighting equipment, upgrading of firemen skills and establishment of volunteer fire brigades.

• The CORE FUNCTION OF NFA is therefore the provision of an effective and efficient EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SERVICE as illustrated below:

• Links: http://www.nfa.com.fj.php53-2.dfw1-2.websitetestlink.com/

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National Fire Authority

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Secretariat of the Pacific Community

• SPC Goals and Pandemic Preparedness Activities– Our goal is to have “Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs)

able to effectively and efficiently respond to emerging diseases, in particular highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and pandemic influenza”.  

– In 2006, we (the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, SPC) designed the Pacific Regional Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Project (PRIPPP) to build the capacity of PICTs to deal with the potential threat of avian influenza, pandemic influenza and other emerging diseases. It has been developed in response to PICTs’ needs.  

– SPC is the implementing body for PRIPPP, with funding provided by AusAID and NZAID.  PRIPPP is implemented in strategic partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

• Links: http://www.spc.int/

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Secretariat of the Pacific Community

• Pacific Regional Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Project (PRIPPP) capabilities in Fiji include:

– Animal Health & Production technical staff Epidemiologist & Animal Health Laboratory

– Human health technical staff Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Pandemic Preparedness and Training

• Areas of Assistance available:– The major components of PRIPPP reflect three broad areas of assistance:

Avian Influenza and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and broader emergency plans Surveillance and response by animal and human health systems Regional coordination and project management 

– In practical terms, PRIPPP provides support to PICTs in such areas as: developing and testing preparedness plans,  infection control and biosecurity,  rapid containment, surveillance and response,  laboratory capacity,  legal issues,  stockpiling essential drugs and materials, and  communication.

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