Page 28 - IB OCT 2017

Health Low blow Heroes suffer in deals away
from home P30

By Sian Rolls
“SO many women, they are not work- Cost
ing, they are struggling... they can’t
afford to pay the medicine, they can’t
afford even the fare to go to the hospi-
tal,” said Temaleti Sauka, secretary of
the Nailaga Women’s Club in Ba. of
Her words are burnt into my mind as
I look towards October. long bus ride down to the nearest major
Pink ribbons will be everywhere. For hospital - all stories I hear on a regular
four weeks, cancer will be on everyone’s care basis as told by femLINKpacific’s net-
lips with newspapers filled with profiles work of rural women leaders across Fiji.
of survivors and events mushrooming “We have poor road condition(s)...
across the country. a pregnant women can give birth on
Of course, fundraising is important they go there you know they are paying the way to the hospital just because of
to support people in need of treatment. bus fares,” said Urmila Prasad, Trea- the bad road condition,” said Vikato-
Indeed, awareness is vital to encour- surer of the Wairuku Mother’s Sangam rina Leweniwai, a member of the Vuya
age people to go for tests. in Rakiraki. “They are coming from far Women’s Group in Bua.
But as rural women leaders say every and then they have to just return just “It’s not only road but if the Ministry
other month, every other day of the because they are not serviced.” of Health can... build a well-equipped
year – ‘I cannot, my family cannot, my “(With) the shortage of medication (in resource dispensary in the village,” said
community cannot afford good health government pharmacies) and we (have Titaku Tabuariki, President of the Bua-
services’. no choice but to) opt to go to the (pri- konikai Women’s Group in Rabi.
“In my community it was really hard vate) pharmacy for medication and that For women living in Buakonikai on
for us to access to health security since costs us more,” said Salome Raqiyawa, Rabi Island, women have to travel by
we are not having health centres in a member of the Nalalawa Women’s Club boat to Savusavu should they wish to
our community,” explained Timaima in Rakiraki. “It’s expensive and it’s hard access a hospital. The next leg of the
Ralolokula, President of the Veilomani for women especially for nursing moth- journey would be having to go to Labasa
Women’s Club in Nadi. “Sometimes we ers, single mothers not forgetting the or Suva depending on the treatment
ending up (with) some... sickness (and) elderly and the women with disabilities needed.
persons from our community they died (to access health services).” So, when I hear the call for women to
because there’s no transport due to bad When my own mother and grand- ‘step up’, I can’t help but wonder – how
road condition.” mother were diagnosed with breast far must women reach, how much hard-
“If they can have community health cancer, we knew we had the privilege of ship they must face in pursuit of their
centres where they will send out more accessing private health care. We also often overlooked health and wellbeing.
women for training so... they can at- knew we had the privilege of accessing As mammoth a task, women leaders
tend the community health centres... savings in my mother’s provident fund are ‘stepping up’ in ways that work for
because to go from where we live in our savings. We also had friends and fam- them.
community to Navua we have to pay ily who rallied together to extend sup- “We are doing wellness program every
about $15 one way,” said Laisa Rokovu, port – financial and organising medical Wednesday for the benefit of the women
Co-ordinator of the Navua Women’s treatment. vendors with their health,” Mareta Tagi-
Multiracial Group. “Imagine - most of It wasn’t cheap but it was a choice that vakatini, Secretary of the Labasa Market
the people in the community are not able our family was able to make. Vendors Association.
to pay $15.” “I think that it is very important to
If on a daily basis families can’t af- include women in decision making
ford to pay $15 for a one-off check-up, ‘ With the shortage of because women come across all sort of
it must be daunting trying to find the issues. Like, women are the ones who
value in longer term treatment of the but to go to private pharmacy look after the family, and women are
dreaded ‘C’ word. and that costs us more the ones who knows that who is sick...
With a per capita medical allocation medicine we have no choice ‘ so, before making any decisions, we
of just $29.71 (an estimated population Mother Urmila Prasad should approach women,” Sheleni Lata,
in the country of 898,760 and $26.7M Secretary of the Sheetal Sharda Mahila
allocation for medicines and other con- Our privilege could also be seen as Mandal in Nausori.
sumables) in Fiji’s financial year 2017- two-fold as a family based in the capital So, this Pink’tober, let’s not just talk
2018, it’s no wonder that when we go to city. the talk but really look to survivors and
the hospital that resources are strained. But we did have to leave the country the women of the country as leaders in
“We tell our PA (provincial administra- for radiation treatment. So, as I read and their own right.
tor) that there have been health issues, see the talk of ‘early detection’, a little Decisions must be meaningfully con-
when they go to the hospital they are not whisper in my eye cynically eye-rolls as sultative so that, as women continue
seen and also scanning, the machines I know the treatment is far out of reach. to stress, they aren’t having to make a
not working, the dental department However, we didn’t have to ride a choice as they count their coins between
doesn’t have the dentist there and when horse, take a boat or even have to take a their lives and their next meal.

28 Islands Business, October 2017