One of the biggest obstacles to resolving veterinary shortages has been identified as the absence of a veterinary council.
Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro. Photo: Ronald Kumar
One of the biggest obstacles to resolving veterinary shortages has been identified as the absence of a veterinary council.
The absence of a veterinary council, according to Minister of Education Aseri Radrodro, is a disadvantage because a council could have managed most of the post-graduation events that FNU is currently involved in, including continuous professional development.
FNU, College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry started the Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry (BVSc & AH) in 2014, with more than 40 students.
The programme runs for five and a half years, including six months of hands-on internship.
“Such a council will also bring all the stakeholders together to manage veterinary practice and report to the Ministry of Agriculture,” Mr Radrodro said.
Only 10 students graduated from the first cohort in 2019.
Mr Radrodro said to date, 66 students had graduated from the university since 2019.
Four of these graduates are from other countries in the Pacific.
Currently, there are nine students enrolled in this programme. They are in the fourth year of the course and will complete and graduate in 2025.
“We believe that the registration of FNU vets will greatly reduce the current shortage of vets in Fiji and the South Pacific,” Mr Radrodro said.
“More Vets are needed not only to fill vacancies but new Vets can stimulate the setup of more commercial livestock operations.”
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