Fiji acknowledges gaps in ageing support

Fiji's Minister for Women and Children, Sashi Kiran, has highlighted a national oversight in supporting the country's growing elderly population. More than 90,000 Fijians, representing at least one in ten people, are now over the age of 60.

Kiran explained that strong traditional community networks had fostered an assumption that families and communities would continue to provide care. This led to a neglect of essential developments needed to support an aging demographic. "As a nation, we have taken for granted that our community will take care of our older persons," she said, adding that "somewhere we overlooked the necessary development that had to happen for our older persons."

The Fijian government is actively working to address this by developing a National Ageing Policy. This initiative involves reviewing and implementing the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, a global framework aimed at enhancing the well-being, participation, and dignity of older individuals. The process seeks to identify specific gaps and areas needing greater attention to ensure older persons are integrated into national policies. Kiran emphasized the importance of this process in reinforcing Fiji's commitment to safeguarding the rights and welfare of its senior citizens.

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As a nation, we have taken for granted that our community will take care of our older persons, because we’ve had strong community networks, and somewhere we overlooked the necessary development that had to happen for our older persons.