The Fiji National University (FNU) through its College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (CMNHS) received a grant of AUD 2.8Million (FJD 4.4M) from the Australia Government to fund Learning & Teaching (L&T) and Research responses to COVID-19 for Fiji and the Pacific.

FNU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Toby Wilkinson said the grant was timely for the College given its history of providing learning, teaching and research in medicine and its lead role in providing support and training to medical personnel in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is indeed excellent news for the University and in particular the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences which has been at the forefront of training our health professionals in Fiji and across the region and, since last year, taking an active support role in efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Professor Wilkinson.

The Dean CMNHS, Dr William May, said Australia was committed to Fiji and the Pacific.

“Through this grant, the Australian Government continues to show its commitment to enhancing education and research initiatives in Fiji and the Pacific islands region especially during these difficult times of COVID-19 and multiple humanitarian events arising from Category 5 cyclones including the visible and invisible impacts of sea-level rise, pollution and general environmental degradation and their resultant issues of environment, food, health and water security,” said Dr May.

Australian High Commissioner, John Feakes said Australia will support its Pacific neighbours to recover from COVID-19.

“We want to support local institutions and partners who will provide training, capacity building and evidence to enhance resilience for future pandemics in the Pacific,” said Mr Feakes.

This grant will enhance learning at the College through state of the art digital technology and virtual platforms, allow research to inform COVID-19 vaccination studies, NCDs in Fiji, and COVID-19 situational analysis for Health Care Workers in Fiji and the Pacific.

It will support the establishment of the Pacific Observatory – a real-time health data and information repository based at the Fiji Institute of Pacific Health Research (FIPHR), CMNHS.

Funding from the Australian Government will also support the FNU CMNHS and Fiji Ministry of Health to conduct research on COVID-19 vaccines’ impact in Fiji; in collaboration with the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) in Melbourne and other research institutions in Australia and New Zealand.