Critical veterinary shortage in Pacific islands

Participants in the Pacific Veterinary
Capacity Roundtable

Half of the nations in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) have no veterinarians and numbers over the whole region are in decline.

At an April 29 meeting in Sydney organised and funded by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), in cooperation with the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) and the Commonwealth Veterinary Association (CVA), the issue of the current inadequate and declining veterinary capacity in the PICTs, with the associated negative impact on biosecurity, food security and animal welfare, was discussed. Participants included representatives of IFAW, universities, veterinary associations, government departments, the OIE and aid agencies.

There is no veterinary training available within the PICTs. Of the few students training at the University of Queensland and Massey University, none will graduate before 2011, and few of those who have trained on scholarships to Australasian universities in the past are still practising in the region. Expatriate volunteers, whether private individuals or sponsored, offer real potential to assist, but are an occasional presence at best.

Frontline animal health services tend to be provided by paravets, many trained by the Animal Health and Production section of the Secretariat of the Pacific Communities (SPC). The Para-veterinary (PARAVET) Training Project, run by Massey-trained veterinarian Ken Cokanasiga, was established to develop skills in animal health and production at the sub-professional level to compensate for the veterinary shortage. However, there are limits to the skills of paravets and it is essential that they be under the direction of adequate numbers of qualified veterinarians if areas of biosecurity, animal disease control, livestock production, genetics, reproduction, aquaculture, food security and food safety, veterinary public health, disaster management, dog management and control and veterinary pet care are to be adequately addressed.

The meeting established the necessity of forecasting long-term needs in terms of numbers and skill levels for veterinarians and paravets as an initial step in resolving the crisis. Long-term solutions are needed, which will encourage the commitment of trained locals to the region. The establishment of a veterinary school, not necessarily at a level that allows registration within Australia or New Zealand, is considered a possibility and more likely to encourage veterinarians to stay locally. Veterinarians trained in other developing countries are also more likely to practise in the region. Options discussed included course links to tertiary institutions in Australia and New Zealand for both veterinarians and paravets, and the employment of veterinarians from developing countries.

One of the problems that needs to be addressed on a local level is lifting the profile and importance of the livestock sector in the region. Government support is necessary for the development of key policy initiatives within the sector, including the training of veterinarians, in pursuit of greater self-reliance in livestock production and in enhanced food security. It is also important for PICTs to be engaged in the evolving global animal welfare process, not least because of their reliance on tourism.

A taskforce, led by Dr Robin Yarrow, Fiji resident and CVA Immediate Past President, was formed to drive the issue, with the initial brief of developing a manpower and needs analysis. This can be used to lobby PICTs governments for support, an essential first step in any resolution, and will be presented at the SPC Heads of Agriculture and Forestry (HOAFS) and Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry meetings, to be held in Samoa in September. An additional meeting of interested parties is planned at the CVA conference in Samoa in November to discuss a further plan of action.

Dr Virginia Williams attended the Pacific Veterinary Capacity Roundtable, representing the New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) and MAF Biosecurity New Zealand. Her costs were met by IFAW.

• Dr Virginia Williams, Animal Welfare Coordinator, NZVA, vwilliams@xtra.co.nz 

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