PM welcomes new CT scan proposal for NRH

DEAR EDITOR, it is very rarely that I wake up, scan through the daily news reports and instantly feel like celebrating.

Today is the exception because after many months of writing to advocate the acquisition of a CT scan for the Solomon Islands National Referral Hospital (NRH) I came across this wonderful piece of news.

Quoting from the Solomon Star newspaper of 10 October 2018 the story read.

Prime Minister Rick Hou has welcomed commitments by an Australian philanthropist to purchase a new Computed Tomography (CT) scan for the National Referral Hospital (NRH).

Lady Primrose Potter the Australian philanthropist shared with the Prime Minister her willingness to raise funds to purchase the CT scan; when she met with the Prime Minister at the Office of the Prime Minister & Cabinet recently.

She said the CT scan is vital equipment, a diagnostic imaging test used to help detect diseases of the small bowel, colon and other internal organs and is often used to determine the cause of unexplained pain.

Lady Potter said it is a state-of-the-art equipment that is fast, painless, non-invasive and accurate.

“I am willing to assist and I will do my best to help raise funds to purchase a new CT scan for the NRH,” she said.

Prime Minister Hou said he has always wondered why Solomon Islands never had this important machine in place over these years.

The Prime Minister said this if purchased would go a long way in helping citizens in this country.

He said it will also cut costs of sending people overseas and also provide surgeons accurate results when testing patients.

“This is welcoming news and I hope we can be able to work together to get this machine into the country as soon as possible,” the Prime Minister said.

Primrose Potter, Lady Potter AC is an Australian philanthropist and arts administrator. She is particularly associated with The Australian Ballet. She is the widow of Sir Ian Potter.

Lady Potter is currently Patron-in-Chief of The Solomon Foundation, a charity that supports various social development projects in The Solomon Islands.

She was founding Honorary Patron of the Melba Foundation, Founding Patron of the Victorian Opera Company, and Patron of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art.

In the Queen’s Birthday Honors 1988, Lady Potter was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for service to the arts and the community.

In 2003 she was promoted to Companion of the Order (AC) for leadership and for encouragement of support for critical community growth through fundraising and philanthropy in the arts, sciences, education and social welfare.

In February 2010 The Australian Ballet named its headquarters in South bank, Melbourne, the Primrose Potter Australian Ballet Centre, to honor her 35 years of service to the organisation.

She has also been awarded honorary doctorates from Australian Catholic University, and Monash University.

Lady Potter was also accompanied by Ian Hosking the founder of the Solomon Foundation.

Mr Hosking has been very instrumental in connecting Solomon Islands with Lady Potter which the Foundation has made vast contributions to the Solomon Islands over the years. Copyright @ 2018, Solomon Star news.

My heartfelt thanks are extended to Lady Potter and the Solomons Foundation for considering to help the National Referral Hospital acquire a much needed and long awaited CT scan.

Yours sincerely

Frank Short

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