Clean Water, Safe Toilets, And Improved Hygiene Strengthen Care In Ba Clinics

Ba, Fiji, 8 May 2026 – Communities in Fiji’s Ba Subdivision will now be able to access safer healthcare following the official opening of upgraded water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities at Namau Nursing Station, Balevuto Health Centre, and Nailaga Health Centre.

The upgrades, led by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services with funding support from the Republic of Korea* and technical support from UNICEF, address longstanding gaps in access to clean water, safe toilets as well as handwashing facilities in healthcare clinics that serve as the first point of care for many rural communities.

"Access to safe and adequate water has been identified as an essential component for protecting, maintaining and promoting public health and reducing the total burden of diseases,” said the Hon. Minister for Health and Medical Services, Dr. Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu. “Therefore, these projects mark another step in the Ministry’s efforts to strengthen healthcare services so that communities, particularly in rural and remote areas, can access care with dignity and safety."

While progress has been made in hospitals nationwide, conditions in clinics and nursing stations remain uneven. According to the 2024 WHO–UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme, although 94 per cent of hospitals in Fiji have basic water services, this does not reflect the reality in frontline clinics, where access is often limited or unreliable.

In addition, 79 per cent of healthcare facilities have limited sanitation, 12 per cent still have toilets that are broken, blocked, without water or unsafe, and only 42 per cent have basic handwashing facilities, with nearly a quarter lacking these services altogether. These gaps place mothers, newborns, children, patients, and healthcare workers at risk.

“The three nursing stations and health centres equipped with upgraded WASH facilities will provide better health services to local villagers,” said the Chargé d'affaires a.i. of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Fiji, Mr. Myong-jun Kim. “These improvements, supported by Korea, will ultimately serve as a solid foundation for a healthier and stronger Fiji. The project will enhance ‘veiwakani’ (true partnership) between Korea and Fiji.”

The newly upgraded facilities now have restored water supply systems, increased water storage capacity, separate toilets for women, men, and people living with disabilities, as well as improved handwashing stations. Together, these improvements will benefit more than 11,000 people living in the communities served by these clinics, including around 3,300 children.

“Quality healthcare begins when families feel safe walking through the doors of their local clinics knowing that essential facilities are in place to protect both patients and healthcare workers,” said UNICEF Pacific’s Deputy Representative, Roshni Basu. “We thank the Ministry of Health and Medical Services for their leadership and the generous support of the Government of the Republic of Korea in making this health commitment a reality.”

Beyond infrastructure, the initiative also supports long-term sustainability. Twenty plumbers, both women and men, have been trained to maintain WASH services in healthcare facilities - while national minimum standards and guidelines for WASH in healthcare have been developed and launched to support consistent, safe service delivery across the country.

This project marks another step in Fiji’s efforts to strengthen healthcare services so that communities, particularly in rural and remote areas, can access care with dignity and safety.

Notes:

*This funding is part of the Government of the Republic of Korea’s larger US$30 million global support to UNICEF under the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) Phase 2. This initiative was carried out by 34 country offices across all seven UNICEF regions between 15 December 2024 and 15 December 2025 to help them recover from the impacts of the pandemic. Phase 1 of the project in Fiji was from January 2024 to December 2024. Phase 2 started in January 2025 and concluded in December 2025.

The regional allocations of this grant were determined through collaboration between UNICEF’s Public Partnerships Division offices in New York and Seoul and the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Country-specific allocations, including Fiji’s, were guided by technical experts at UNICEF headquarters, in close consultation with regional colleagues.

About the Government of the Republic of Korea:
The Korean Government feels obliged to give back to the international community for the support it once received. In this spirit, the Government of the Republic of Korea is actively promoting a wide range of development projects - from small-scale grants to large-scale infrastructure initiatives. In Fiji, our efforts are primarily focused on three key sectors: health, energy, and maritime. As a reliable partner to Fiji who shares core values such as democracy, freedom, and the rule of law, the Republic of Korea remains firmly committed to supporting Fiji’s development and the well-being of its people.

About UNICEF:
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.

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