The International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Service (MHMS), and the National Taiwan University Hsin-Chu Branch launched their first-ever joint project, Strengthening Digital Healthcare for Community Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and COVID-19 in Fiji.  An equipment handover and Exchange notes ceremony was held among USAID, MHMS, and TaiwanICDF in Fiji on June 14th.

The USAID/Pacific Mission Director, Ms. Zema Semunegus, and the MHMS’s Head of Wellness, Dr. Devina Nand, completed the project handover of the required computer equipment. Following, the exchange notes ceremony was carried out between Amb. Dr. Charles Li, Secretary General of the TaiwanICDF, and Dr. Devina Nand, MHMS under the witness of Mr. Paul Yin-Lien Chen, Representative of the Taipei Trade Office in Fiji.

For the past 46 years, the TaiwanICDF has cooperated with Fiji in agriculture, fishery, and animal industry. This project is our first public health and medicine project in Fiji. It is also part of a wider initiative by the TaiwanICDF and the Pacific Community to strengthen healthcare system resilience in Pacific Island Countries (PICs). This collaboration, in cooperation with the Fiji MHMS, builds on a technical webinar for NCD management in PIC COVID patients in 2022. 

The project brings experts from Taiwan and the US to work with local Fijian information technology personnel to design a digital tool to help primary healthcare providers and community healthcare workers manage patients with NCDs, COVID-19, and long COVID symptoms. This first-ever collaboration between TaiwanICDF, USAID, and MHMS will greatly enhance Fiji’s healthcare resilience, which aligns with WHO goals to strengthen medical preparedness.

TheTaiwanICDF is particularly suited to implement this project, given its extensive experience with chronic disease prevention and control in the Caribbean and Latin American regions, in countries like Belize, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Moreover, the topic is cogent given a recent WHO report showing NCD patients are at higher risk from COVID-19 infections. This project not only helps medical workers manage patients with NCDs, COVID-19, and long COVID but also equips them with the tools needed to provide health education and leverage awareness to protect health.

The TaiwanICDF has a strong track record in the public health and medicine field. The organization serves as a platform for international cooperation, working alongside both the public and private sectors to empower nations to promote public welfare. The organization’s projects in this field encompass maternal and infant healthcare, chronic disease prevention, health information management, and emergency response. The TaiwanICDF will continue using Taiwan’s professional resources and institutions to implement projects in allied and friendly nations so that the global community can enjoy improved medical care. 

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• Update: 2024/06/14
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