Official handover of the Telehealth items from FNU CMNHS to CWM Hospital Dental Lab, MHMS with Dr Luke Nasedra, Dr John Susau (Senior Dental Officer, CWMH), Dr Osea Dukuno (Head of School, School of Dentistry, CMNHS) and Mr Viliame Qio (Project Manager, COVID19 Regional Response).

Empowered by the COVID-19 grant awarded by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Fiji National University’s (FNU), College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (CMNHS) has strengthened strategic partnerships with the esteemed health ministries of Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga.

This collaborative partnership is dedicated to supporting telehealth and e-learning initiatives strategically designed to elevate and advance the medical sector in the three countries.

The Fiji National University, College of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences (CMNHS), through its Learning and Teaching arm (L&T), has been awarded a DFAT COVID-19 grant based on Outcome 1, “Build future-looking resilient education and training systems for the Pacific Island health workforce based on lessons learned from COVID-19 and establish e-learning platforms and technology, and also includes the support of the efficient delivery of its learning and teaching programmes and courses from the College to its students”.

Official handover of the Telehealth items to MOH Samoa.

College Dean, Dr William May, was thankful to the Government of Australia, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for the funding support and highlighted that the regional focus of CMNHS Learning & Teaching is to develop and strengthen the provision of in-country training and CMNHS facilities.

This included securing equipment for telehealth, tele-simulation, and other forms of virtual learning and teaching; and the establishment of learning spaces in-country that use e-technology to facilitate knowledge exchange between staff and students in Fiji and the region.

In line with this, FNU signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Health, Samoa on the 11th of January 2023; the Ministry of Health, Tonga, on April 18,  2023; and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Fiji on August 21, 2023.

Under the MOU, FNU was tasked with the provision for procurement of telehealth equipment from the DFAT COVID-19 Response Grant, and both parties, through consultations, may contribute to the resourcing of this relationship in terms of the procurement and maintenance of equipment.

“FNU and MoH are set to collaborate closely, aiming to enhance telehealth services provided to potential, current, and alumni students of FNU, along with MOH employees. This joint effort is geared towards developing and reinforcing a dedicated location for telehealth provisions. Moreover, this partnership will strengthen the ability to facilitate remote learning between both staff and students, leveraging technical equipment for virtual learning, teaching, and research endeavours,” Dr May highlighted.

Official handover of the Telehealth items from FNU CMNHS to MOH Tonga.

“The creation of local learning spaces equipped with e-technology aims to foster knowledge exchange among staff and students from both parties. Additionally, if feasible, there’s a focus on providing in-country learning and teaching support specifically for Tongan students enrolled in FNU’s CMNHS programmes.”

“The collaboration aims to offer in-country learning and teaching support to students by providing agreed-upon telehealth assistance. It encompasses in-country research support and capacity building for students and FNU alumni across Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga, as well as aiding in obtaining research ethics approval from the Human Research Committee. Furthermore, the parties will collaborate to support the professional development of CMNHS alumni through the provision of telehealth services.”