Water arrears forces clinic to close  

By Mike Puia

 

WATER arrears has forced the Solomon Water to disconnect water supply to the Mbokona clinic.

About five nurses who are in charge of the clinic have left the clinic since its closure last month. The actual day of the clinic’s closure is not known.

Honiara City Council (HCC), which is responsible for Honiara clinics’ water and electric bills, confirmed it is aware of the closure.

“We will raise a payment to settle Mbokona Clinic’s water bill tomorrow (today),” Mr Harvest Maebule, HCC’s Director of Nursing, said.

Maebule said he was only made aware of the clinic’s closure last week when he resumed duty.

He explained there was confusion between his Division and their main office last year as to who will pay the clinic’s bill.

Maebule said this year their main office has agreed to take up all clinics’ water and electricity bills in its budget.

“What we will do now is, we will only provide clinic-bills to our main office to pay them as all bills are billed to our Division,” Maebule said.

The City Council pays $34,000, a month to Solomon Water to cater for the water bills of 10 clinics it operates across the city. For electricity, the Council pays out $52,000, a month, to Solomon Power.

For small clinics like Mbokona Clinic, Maebule said the water bill would be about $1,000 a month.

“I am told Mbokona clinic water bill is about $3,000. This is a small outstanding but sadly it has closed an important service,” Maebule said.

A resident from Mbokona, Mr Humphrey Piringparu, said their community has a big population and whenever the clinic closes the closest is Rove clinic.

Piringparu confirmed their residential water supply is connected except the clinic’s.

Maebule said they have experienced issues with Mbokona clinic a couple of times. Issues in which its water or power got disconnected with small arrears.

He said there are bigger clinics that have huge outstandings but are not disconnected.

He confirmed they will look at signing agreements with authorities like Solomon Water and Solomon Power so that they can be lenient to Honiara clinics.

It is understood Mataniko clinic has also been closed for renovation.

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