TWENTY YEAR DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2017-2036 5 Investments in the construction of new hospitals, health centres and nursing stations will continue. Inventory management will be improved, and other opportunities will be explored to ensure that drugs and consumables are available at all times. New and modern equipment will be made readily available. The government is exploring options to engage strategic partners in the management and operation of certain public hospitals to improve their service delivery. yy Women in Development Women will be empowered, allowing them opportunities for greater participation in leadership and decisionmaking across all sectors. Police and the courts will appropriately attend to gender-based violence in all its forms. Such is the confidence in these initiatives that 100 percent reporting of these crimes is expected. The law and justice system that protects the public and deters crime will be functional and responsive. Gender inequality and discrimination will be eliminated, providing women with greater choice and freedom for their participation in the family and society. Women’s access to education will be supported, as will their desires for fulfilling employment and career advancement. Women who choose to have children will be adequately remunerated for paid work and will be able to continue to advance their careers if that is their wish. It is expected that home duties in caring for children and household work will be shared by the spouse or partner. Incentives are already in place to attract private sector investment in tertiary health care. A major focus moving forward will be to ensure that Fijians can take advantage of specialised tertiary care in Fiji rather than having to pay high medical bills overseas. Tertiary health care services have the potential to become an important growth sector and revenue earner and assist Fiji to become the health hub of the South Pacific. More emphasis will be placed on preventive health care by promoting healthy eating habits, physical activity and other lifestyle changes to reduce Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). yy Food and Nutrition Security Food and nutrition security will be improved by ensuring increased local production, raising farm efficiency and productivity, and developing more effective distribution systems. Agriculture and fisheries programmes will be enhanced, and local produce made available to all Fijians. New technology, mechanisation and better production practices will be adopted. Market linkages will be improved. Large-scale production will be encouraged and supported to achieve greater economies of scale. Organic farming will be promoted, and production of traditional crops and niche agricultural and fisheries products will be pursued. Production will be made more climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable. To adapt to climate change, increased funding will be directed towards agriculture research into crop varieties that can be more resilient to expected changes in weather patterns. In addition, extension training will evolve to ensure that farming practices adapt to changes due to climate change. Support for women’s health and decisions regarding family planning and sexual and reproductive health will be shared and respected. Access to health and other social services will be improved and available as required. Women will be included and consulted in all planning for future development projects, and their input will be translated into tangible project outcomes. This includes adaptation planning at the community level, where women can be key agents to change unsustainable production and consumption practices within the family and community. Response to Gender Based Violence (GBV) continues to be a strong focus of government policy and programmes. GBV service delivery protocols will ensure that the health sector provides strong support to victims. yy Protecting Culture, Heritage and Natural Environment Fiji has a rich cultural diversity and heritage that will be protected and promoted. Our language, food, festivals, rituals, arts and traditions, which hold essential intrinsic value, will be preserved. Local culture and heritage will be promoted as part of our vibrant tourism industry. Intellectual property rights for protection of traditional knowledge will be developed and strengthened. There will be an increased focus on proper management of our forests, mangroves and coral reefs because of the complex natural biodiversity that these systems support. These natural systems are critical for food and nutrition security, sustaining endemic flora and fauna, and maintaining the natural balance in nature. Our pristine natural environment will be protected, and the economy will be made more climate-resilient.