Address by High Comissioner at the inauguration of Jaipur Foot Camp
12 October 2026

Hon’ble Ratu Antonio Rabici Lalabalavu, Minister for Health and Medical Services, & our Chief Guest,
Ambassador Satish Mehta, President, Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti, Jaipur,
Dr Pratima Gajraj, Twomey Hospital,
Representatives of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services,
Medical and technical teams,
Colleagues from the High Commission,
Distinguished guests,
Members of the media,
Beneficiaries and their families,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Namaste, Bula Vinaka, and a very good morning to all of you.

It is a great pleasure to be here today for the inauguration of the Jaipur Foot Camp in Fiji.

Let me begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to Hon. Minister for Health and Medical Services, Dr. Ratu Antonio Rabici Lalabalavu for gracing the inauguration of the Jaipur Foot Camp with his presence as Chief Guest. Excellency, your presence reflects the importance you attach to strengthening healthcare cooperation between India and Fiji. Your visits to India on several occasions, including your participation in the 2nd WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicines in India last year, have further reinforced our shared commitment to advancing healthcare cooperation and promoting the well-being of our people.

I would like also to thank Ambassador Satish Mehta and the entire BMVSS team for bringing their expertise and experience to Fiji. BMVSS has worked for decades to provide affordable and customised prosthetic and assistive solutions, and the Jaipur Foot has become well known for its practical design and its ability to help people regain mobility.

My sincere thanks also to Dr Pratima Gajraj, Twomey Hospital and all the doctors, nurses, technicians and other medical professionals who have supported this camp. A programme such as this involves a great deal of work behind the scenes, from assessment and measurements to fabrication, fitting and follow-up, and we deeply appreciate the contribution of everyone involved.

I also thank the Ministry of Health and Medical Services and all Fijian officials and institutions supporting the camp. And most importantly, I warmly welcome all the beneficiaries and their families. This camp is ultimately about you.

Excellency, ladies and gentlemen,

The Jaipur Foot Camp has been underway since 6 October, and some beneficiaries have already received their prosthetic limbs. Over the course of the camp, around 650 amputees are expected to benefit across Suva, Labasa and Nadi. For each person receiving a limb, this is much more than a medical intervention. It can mean being able to walk more comfortably, return to work, move around independently, participate more fully in family and community life, and regain a sense of confidence.

And this is not the first time that India and Fiji have come together through Jaipur Foot.

The relationship goes back many years. The previous Jaipur Foot Camp in Fiji was held at Tamavua Twomey Hospital in 2011, when around 300 amputees received artificial limbs. In 2022, the programme returned on a much larger scale, with 629 limbs fitted across Fiji.

The experience of that camp demonstrated the continued need for such support and during the Hon. Prime Minister’s visit to India in August last year, the two sides agreed to organise another Jaipur Foot Camp in Fiji. So, when we look at today’s event, we are really looking at a relationship that has developed over time , from the first camp in 2011, to the much larger effort in 2022, and now to the camp we are inaugurating today.

For India, development cooperation is not only about large projects or government-to-government agreements. It is also about whether cooperation reaches people directly and makes a practical difference to their everyday lives. That is what makes Jaipur Foot particularly special. It brings together Indian expertise, Fijian needs and the efforts of medical professionals from both countries. 

Excellency, ladies and gentlemen,

Health has been an important area of India-Fiji cooperation for many years, and the Jaipur Foot Camp is part of this much broader engagement.

The 100-bed Super-Speciality Hospital being established by India in Suva is one of our largest development cooperation projects in the Pacific. Alongside this, India has supported Fiji with Anti-Retroviral medicines, COVID-19 vaccines and other medical supplies. We are also working towards the provision of dialysis machines and a Sea Ambulance.

We are further working towards the establishment of Jan Aushadhi Kendras in Fiji, which can help improve access to quality and affordable generic medicines. The recognition of the Indian Pharmacopoeia by Fiji is an important step in supporting this objective.

Our cooperation in health is also expanding into areas such as specialised medical 

Beyond health, our cooperation covers a wide range of sectors.

The Prime Minister’s visit to India last year gave further momentum to initiatives in agriculture and the sugar industry. Just a few days ago, the High Commission handed over 12 agricultural drones to the Fiji Sugar Corporation. This is being complemented by specialised training and technical expertise through ITEC. Handing over of 2 mobile soil-testing laboratories is also being taken forward and is expected to happen soon.

India has also continued to support Fiji’s agricultural and food-security priorities through the provision of agricultural inputs, including the recent handover of five metric tonnes of black-eyed cowpea seeds.

There have also been developments in trade, research and institutional cooperation. Amul ghee is now available in the Fiji market, work is progressing towards the establishment of the Sustainable Coastal Ocean Research Institute at USP, and, very recently, four vehicles were handed over to the Fijian Elections Office to support election readiness.

These are different areas of cooperation, but they reflect the same approach, taking the understandings between our two countries and translating them, step by step, into practical outcomes.

Excellency, ladies and gentlemen,

But perhaps the most enduring part of the India-Fiji relationship is the connection between our people.

This connection can be seen in the thousands of Fijians who have participated in ITEC and ICCR programmes, in Yoga and cultural activities, in Hindi and Tamil language learning, in music and dance, and in cricket and other sporting exchanges. It can be seen in the Bharat Corners at Labasa and the University of Fiji, and in the many community organisations that continue to keep the cultural links between our two countries alive.

These connections matter because relationships between countries are sustained not only by official visits and agreements, but also by the everyday interactions between people.

Excellency, ladies and gentlemen,

Looking ahead, I believe there is considerable scope to take this partnership further. We will continue working with Fiji in areas where our two countries can bring complementary strengths, while keeping our focus on cooperation that is practical, responsive to Fiji’s priorities and capable of producing tangible benefits for people.

I hope that, when we look back in the years ahead, we will see today’s Jaipur Foot Camp not as a single event, but as another chapter in the long-running story of India and Fiji working together.

To all the beneficiaries, I wish you greater mobility, greater independence and many new opportunities ahead.

To our partners in Fiji, to BMVSS and its team, to the medical professionals, to the Ministry and to everyone who has helped make this camp possible, thank you.

And Hon. Ministers & Assistant Ministers, once again, thank you for being with us today and for your continued support for the close friendship between our two countries.

Let us continue to take forward this spirit of Veilomani Dosti and build an India-Fiji partnership that continues to touch lives in meaningful and practical ways.

Dhanyavaad.
Vinaka vakalevu.
Thank you.