The man at the too

Doctor Timoci Bavadra (52), is a physician-turned trade unionist-turned politician. He did his undergraduate studies at the Fiji School of Medicine and was a post graduate student at Otago and Dunedin universities in New Zealand.

Born in Lautoka, he is married to Kuini, a senior administrative officer in the civil service. From 1977 until his retirement from government service to become the Labour Party leader, he was president of the Fiji Public Service Association.

But, he said, his desire to serve his people was born in Solomon Islands where he served for four years from 1966 as a divisional medical officer on secondment from Fiji. He said his Solomons experience made him aware of the need for community health care as opposed to clinical services.

He said the preventive aspect of health services, such as better roads, water supplies, housing and sanitation brought him closer to the community and gave him the desire to help. His entry into politics, he said, was an extension of that desire.