DEAR EDITOR, it is my understanding that the the Honiara City Council (HCC) has thanked the Member for West Honiara Constituency, Namson Tran, for his recent donation of much needed drugs and medication supplies to its three wards’ clinics in West Honiara.

I, too, express my thanks to the Hon Member for his help in aiding the local medical services and the sick during the unfortunate period of drug shortages.

Yours sincerely

Frank Short

DEAR EDITOR, I offer my congratulations to the Prime Minister, the members of the Solomon Islands parliament and the people of the Solomon Islands on the passing of the long-awaited anti-corruption legislation which will pave the way for the establishment of an Independent Commission Against Corruption.

I very much hope that with the passing of this new legislation corruption can be eradicated and thereafter good governance will soon bring about maximum and sustainable economic development for the betterment of all in the Solomon Islands.

Yours sincerely

Frank Short

DEAR EDITOR, it wasn’t very long ago that I wrote a letter expressing my shock and concern when seeing images of patients sleeping on the floor at the National Referral Hospital (NRH) because of a reported shortage of hospital beds.

The report illustrating the then conditions at the NRH had been relayed by Radio New Zealand.

An article in today’s Island Sun newspaper (Friday 20 July) gave graphic details of the current dire conditions prevailing at the NRH’s medical laboratory with air conditioning units out of order, important machines defunct and working conditions in the laboratory so bad that Dr. Culwick Togamana, the Environment Minister, said the staff in the laboratory shouldn’t remain there because of concerns over their health.

I concern myself very much about the NRH and while appreciating writing about the working conditions and reported shortages of medical supplies are sensitive matters, I have no wish to enter into any kind of ‘blame game’ or become, as an outsider, involved in any degree of politics involving the administration of the hospital.

I would like to say, however, that the MOHMS/NRH signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with my partner charity, ‘Take My Hands’ for the annual supply of between 8 to 10 shipping containers per year of requested medical equipment and supplies to ensure the hospital did not run out of hospital beds and medical supplies, especially consumable medical supplies that were used and discarded daily.

The MOU required the payment of NZ$50,000 per year, payable in two stages, of NZ$25,000 each.

After receiving the first NZ$25,000 ‘Take My Hands’ began to ship the first batch of containers of equipment that had been requested as ‘essentials’ and coordinated by myself as a party to the MOU.

The invoice for the second stage payment went unanswered and Take My Hands then very kindly offered to accept just NZ$12.500 so the supply of equipment could continue.

To-date the payment has not been met and consequently shipments from New Zealand are suspended.

As I have explained before, the Solomon Islands Forest Association (SFA) stepped in to help and donated more than US$11,000 to ‘Take My Hands’ to send two forty foot containers with 100 hospital beds to meet the shortages for beds at the NRH and at two provincial hospitals.  Those beds are still to be shipped from Wellington but expected in Honiara before long.

The shipment of equipment and medical supplies from ‘Take My Hands’ has considerable cost-saving benefits for the MOHMS/NRH and, in my humble view, the MOU is worth continuing.

What I read today of the prevailing conditions at the NRH Medical Laboratory takes my mind back to the similar nightmare conditions I found in all police facilities at Rove, including staff housing, at Honiara Police Station and especially at  Naha on assuming office 21 years ago.  Similar run down conditions were present in police accommodation and facilities throughout the country.

To make matters worse at the time the members of the police were not being paid, they had no change of uniforms and telephones had been disconnected.

I described those dreadful conditions in Chapter 15 and Chapter 16 of my book ‘Policing a Clash of Cultures’ and the extracts are available today in the publication ‘Solomon Times on Line.’

I am glad to say that with the help of Australia, New Zealand and initially, Taiwan, police working conditions and facilities have considerably improved since 1997, but sadly seemingly not so at such an essential public service hospital as the NRH.

Yours sincerely

Frank Short

DEAR EDITOR, a project to preserve and protect the remainder of Malaita’s virgin rain forest has been launched in the Solomon Islands via Facebook and donations are being requested.

I quote the details outlying the project published, also, on Linkedin.

“More than 90% of Malaita’s virgin rainforests have either been logged or a planned to be. Malaita is an oceanic island of around 4 thousand square kilometers and is the most populated island in the Solomon Islands.

 “We have received calls from many communities through-out Malaita who want to protect their natural resources for future generation. We have established the Mai-Maasina Green Belt charitable initiative to create a network of these ‘green’ areas on Malaita, so that tribes through geographically separate can stand together.

“ We have around 10 communities ranging from inland mountains through to coastal mangroves who are making this call and we need support to visit these communities and ‘tok stori’.

“Our team of volunteers need logistical support to visit these areas, many isolated, to answer questions, carry out awareness and get them on-board the ‘green belt’.

Time is against us as surging tide of deforestation continues on and we need to reach these communities before the loggers arrive. Any amount you share will go a long way.”

If willing to support this deserving project please refer to Facebook.

Source: Linkedin 21 July 2018.

Yours sincerely

 Frank Short

DEAR EDITOR, I write to thank the Honiara Band Association for raising S$12 thousand dollars in aid of the National Referral Hospital during a live concert at Rove Police ground on Sunday.

The money collected will be handed over to the Prime Minister to acquire medicine for the hospital as a consequence of recently reported shortages.

My appreciation goes to Benjamin Afuga to the members of the HBA and to all the participating bands, musicians, to those who sang during the concert and to the many local businesses that donated to the appeal.

Yours sincerely

Frank Short

DEAR EDITOR, with help from the New Zealand Defence Force the authorities in Fiji have seized yet another 12 kilogrammes of cocaine from a remote island.

Forty kilogrammes of cocaine, estimated at SUS15 million, were seized earlier this month on the same island.

The authorities in the Solomon Islands must remain highly vigilant to the threat of illegal drugs, such as cocaine, entering the country since experts have said the recurrent seizure of cocaine in Fiji could prompt crime syndicates to redirect illicit drug supplies through other countries in the Pacific

A New Zealand navy ship is believed helping Fiji patrol its waters after a request from Fiji’s customs agency.

Yours sincerely

Frank Short