MSP Pop-Up Clinic ease public access to essential SRHR services

In November this year, Medical Services Pacific was presented with a client with a prolonged medical condition. Lacking the confidence to seek medical help, the client had kept his condition to himself for 7 years- that is until he came across MSP’s Pop-Up Clinic at the My FNPF Centre in Suva.

Situated at a private location with a set of experienced and dedicated women medical practitioners and counsellors, the Pop-Up Clinic gave the client a sense of security to disclose personal information and has since been referred for continuum care.

This is one of the many clients’ testimonials whose benefitted from the services provided at the Pop-Up Clinic since it came into being.

MSP provides a broad range of health care, counselling and social services, including public awareness and educational programs with a specialised focus on sexual and reproductive health, and have also developed a comprehensive and integrated service for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence which includes emergency care, and ongoing medical, nursing, counselling and legal support.

Recognising a need to expand their reach to address the needs of community members particularly women and girls for these services, through a Resilience Grant from Women’s Fund Fiji, and brokering partnerships with MHCC and the Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF), MSP had set up Pop Up Clinics in Suva easing access to essential services- allowing them to attend to the needs of the vulnerable and at-risk population.

The Pop-Up clinic first opened at the MHCC complex in March 2022 and then later relocated to the FNPF Centre from October both on a free of charge basis, enabling the medical team to operate and provide clinical services to members of the public on a daily basis.

Since April to date, the pop-up clinics have already supported the health and wellbeing of almost 1,000 Fijians from all around the central division, majority of whom are women. Clients have stated the clinics’ location is “convenient and accessible.”

In October 2022 alone, the FNPF Pop-Up Clinic serviced 210 people, the highest number of walk-ins recorded for the month in any of MSP’s other clinics in Fiji (MSP has 3 static clinics located in Labasa, Lautoka, and Waimanu, Suva), owing mainly to the private, easy, and accessible location, and the reach to an even larger population made possible through FNPF partnership, given FNPF’s raising awareness of MSP’s services to its 450,000 members around the world through mass text messaging.

Evaluations show a majority of working/employed women have been accessing services provided at the Pop-Up Clinic. Given the availability of services between 9am to 4pm daily and appointment options based on schedule available, this works well for these women who would have otherwise missed out on accessing a service of their choice.

Services provided at the Pop-Up clinic are inclusive of:

• Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer awareness
• NCD screening (height and weight measurement/BMI, blood sugar test)
• Family Planning consultation
• Family Planning execution
• Breast examination
• HIV/STI testing
• Prostate/Penile/Testicular cancer consultation
• Counselling (Appointment)
• Legal Consultation (Appointment)

Discussions are currently in progress to activate the same Pop-Up clinic concept in the Northern and Western Division.