Rationales for Establishing a Radiation Oncology Center in Fiji: Beyond Cost and Benefit Analysis

In Fiji, cancers are the third leading cause of death behind cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. The cancer incidence is to increase rapidly, but cancer patients are not able to obtain treatment within the country. Instead they have to go abroad because radiotherapy services are not available in Fiji. To overcome the limited accessibility of cancer treatment, Fiji’s government developed the National Cancer Control Plan and established a National Oncology Committee in 2014 to promote the establishment of a radiation oncology center. In spite of the government’s willingness and much research, the implementation of the roadmap to build the oncology center has been delayed. To help the process avoid derailment, this study suggests rationales that go beyond cost-benefit analysis and other validations given in academic research. The three simple but strong rationales are suggested. Health sovereignty makes it the government’s obligation to promote the health of the entire population. Governments should ensure the health of people by guaranteeing basic and necessary health services like cancer treatment. Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is an important goal for both developed and developing countries. Under UHC, everyone should be able to access the health services they need without financial hardship. This underscores the fact that UHC without cancer treatment is not possible. The development of a cancer treatment hub in the South Pacific region can be promoted as an important motivation for the establishment of a radiation oncology centre. Many countries in this region are too small to achieve economies of scale in their health sectors. Fiji has the potential to become a cancer treatment hub by establishing and operating a radiation therapy center for the populations of both Fiji and other neighboring countries