Dr. Sera Toganivalu

Dr. Sera Toganivalu is an internist at Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWM Hospital) in Suva — Fiji's main tertiary referral hospital and the country's largest public healthcare facility. She is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP), having completed her internal medicine advanced training in Australia before returning to serve Fiji's population.

Fiji faces one of the Pacific Islands region's most severe non-communicable disease burdens. Type 2 diabetes — with a prevalence exceeding 15% in adults — and cardiovascular disease are the leading causes of death and disability. Dr. Toganivalu's specialist internal medicine practice is heavily focused on managing diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular risk, with insulin management, diabetic complication assessment, and hypertension control forming the core of her outpatient clinic.

Alongside NCDs, Fiji's tropical environment means dengue fever, typhoid, and leptospirosis are important infectious disease concerns she manages in the inpatient ward. She consults in Fijian, Fiji Hindi, and English — covering both indigenous Fijian and the significant Indo-Fijian population, as well as international patients and expatriates.

Dr. Toganivalu completed her MBBS at Fiji National University (formerly Fiji School of Medicine) and completed her advanced training in Internal Medicine at a Fijian and Australian hospital program, leading to Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP). She has undertaken additional training in diabetes and endocrinology management at an Australian teaching hospital. She is a member of the Fiji Medical Association and the RACP Pacific network.

Dr. Toganivalu's internal medicine practice covers type 2 diabetes management (insulin optimization, diabetic complication screening — retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, peripheral arterial disease), hypertension and cardiovascular risk management, and dyslipidemia. Her infectious disease practice covers dengue fever (including monitoring for warning signs and DHF), typhoid fever, leptospirosis — common after Fiji's frequent flooding events — and enteric illness. She performs pleural tap, peritoneal tap, lumbar puncture, and bone marrow aspiration. She manages inpatient medical cases at CWM Hospital including DKA, sepsis, and hypertensive emergencies.

CWM Hospital sees domestic Fijian patients and occasional international patients including cruise ship visitors, expatriates, and travelers. Dr. Toganivalu consults in English and offers video pre-consultation for international visitors planning extended stays in Fiji who have existing diabetes or hypertension management needs. For complex specialist care beyond Fiji's current capacity, she coordinates referrals to Australia or New Zealand through established Fijian referral pathways.

Dr. Toganivalu has been recognized by the Fiji Medical Association for her contribution to specialist internal medicine training and NCD service delivery in Fiji, including her Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) — one of the highest internal medicine qualifications available through the Australasian training pathway. She is a member of the National NCD Working Group and has contributed to the development of Fiji's diabetes screening protocols and clinical management guidelines, helping to standardise care across the archipelago's geographically dispersed communities.

She has presented at Pacific health conferences on diabetes management and leptospirosis in the Pacific Islands context, and participates in RACP Pacific continuing medical education activities. She has been recognised within Colonial War Memorial Hospital for her leadership in the Diabetes and Metabolic Disease outpatient service.