Suva City Council backs expanded public health powers

The Suva City Council has welcomed proposed changes to the Public Health Amendment Bill, which would grant environmental health officers increased authority to access properties and informal settlements. Council representatives believe the legislation will bolster enforcement capabilities, enabling more efficient responses to local health hazards.

A key advantage highlighted by the Acting Director for Health and Waste Management Services, Wally Atalifo, is the elimination of protracted approval procedures. Currently, councils must secure approval from a divisional medical officer before entering private property for remedial actions. Atalifo explained that the proposed bill would empower environmental health officers to act without this prior approval, addressing a significant hurdle.

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Under the proposed Public Health Bill Amendment, there’s no, we don’t need for approval by the medical officer. The proposed bill states that the environmental health officer, or currently the health inspector, or the sanitary inspector, has the full powers to do so without approval from the divisional medical officer. And those were some of the issues that we faced.

Atalifo also noted that existing legal constraints impede the councils' ability to perform their duties, particularly in informal settlements. The amended bill, he stated, would provide the necessary mandate to enter these areas and enforce the Public Health Act. The National WASH Coordinator, Toga Vosataki, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the change would expedite enforcement by removing the requirement for prior medical officer approval.

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So that only had a medical officer in the Principal Act. So that is currently being substituted with the environmental health practitioner.