Leading local surgeon Dr Kuma gives grave statistics on killer non-communicable diseases in the country
BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
Eight people die every day and 56 people in one week from non-communicable diseases (NCD) in Solomon Islands.
One of the country’s top surgeons Dr Chester Kuma revealed this when he spoke at the National Trade Fair at SINU Panatina cultural village.
He stressed that this is the reality and if not taken seriously it will cause death for more people than any other disease.
“You can just appreciate the escalation of the statistics on the number of people in Solomon Islands who died from NCD”, Dr Kuma said.
He referred to the scenario as a “crisis” and a huge health problem.
“NCDs kill 50 million people every 12 months globally. It is more than any war. COVID-19 kills only 15 million people. In the Solomon Islands, NCD kills 56 people in a week and eight people every day,” he added.
Moreover, Dr Kuma said the government finds it difficult to control NCD due to the lack of money to address the problem.
He mentioned that nearly half of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) budget goes towards treating NCD.
Dr Kuma pointed out that today, we eat too much food from the store which contribute mainly to the problem of non-communicable diseases in our nation.
Henceforth, he said we must address this by abiding by information regarding NCDs.
“So that we can help our government address NCD so that we do not waste money on sickness that we created by ourselves inside our body from wrong choices,” said Dr Kuma.
The country’s top surgeon also warned that habits like smoking, consuming alcohol and chewing betel-nut are three drugs that contribute significantly to the development of non-communicable diseases.
Earlier this year, Kuma had warned the public on the dangers of consuming ‘white rice’ a staple food in the Solomons nowadays, saying that an average plate of white rice contains an equivalent of 20 spoons of sugar.
On another note, MHMS is working hard on its initiatives along with the help of partners to combat NCDs.
Such efforts include the recently launched national food security, food safety and nutrition policy 2024-2029.
According to a MHMS statement on June 24, 2025, the policy aims to achieve food and nutrition security in Solomon Island through long term sustainable collaboration and engagement by all key stakeholders.
Health minister, Dr Paul Popora Bosawai during his keynote address at the launch said the burden of non-communicable diseases, often linked to poor nutrition and unsafe food practices, continues to rise at an unprecedented rate and accounts for 70 percent of adult deaths in Solomon Islands.
Island Sun understands that the recently opened NCD clinic at Kukum area is crowded daily with patients seeking medical attention.
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