BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

MINISTER for Health and Medical Services supports the Role of Delineation Policy (RDP) as it sets out a pathway for achieving National Health Strategic Plan and Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

MHMS Minister Dr Tautai Agikimua Kaitu’u said WHO defined that the UHC is aimed at ensuring all people have access to needed promotive, preventive, and curative and rehabilitation health services of sufficient quality to be effective.

With the RDP in place, Kaitu’u said the RDP will also help in ensuring people do not suffer financial hardship when accessing services offered at hospitals and area health centres across the country.

“Key component of such policy is ensuring health infrastructure meet certain minimum standards in terms of design which will require facility infrastructure to be upgraded over time,” Kaitu’u said.

Solomon Islands pledged to address health issues under the SDGs and Kaitu’u assures SIG is committed to support health infrastructure development across the health sector so that health services can be provided where people need them.

In addition to functioning infrastructure, he said the RDP also requires appropriate skilled and experienced staff being available to work in health facilities and in communities served by those facilities.

“These health workers also need access to essential medical equipment and suppliers to enable them work effectively and efficiently. As Minister for MHMS, I strongly support Ministry’s effort to ensure right people are posted,” Kaitu’u said.

He said this will also include working in the right place with right supplies and right equipment.

He explained initiating such policy is essential also in the context of Ministry’s major reform, the restructuring of the health sector’s functions and staffing which must go hand-in-hand with implementation of the RDP.

“Implementation of this RDP will be closely linked to overall reform of the Ministry’s staffing which I support as Minister and my government supports, so that we can improve health of the majority of our people who live in the provinces.”

Kaitu’u said the RDP has been developed in support of the government’s National Development Strategy, specifically in recognition of the National Development Strategy Objective 3 – All Solomon Islanders will have access to quality health and education.

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

Auki

A man from West Kwara’ae has called on voters in West Kwara’ae to elect a ‘person of action’ for the constituency in the upcoming general elections.

Mr Nathaniel Maegwari in his call said the constituency continues to suffer under past successive leaders, adding if people continue to vote blindly then they will continue to suffer.

“All can see is leader (MP) continue to put focus on strategy to continue their reign in power and nothing on development in the constituency as they should.

“Voters also continue to brainwash with sweet talks and after all those words are just words themselves without actions,” Maegwari said.

Maegwari said people should vote for somebody who can develop the constituency.

He urges people to look to their leaders for economic developments in the constituency and not for bag-rice, schools fees etc.

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

Auki

COMMUNITIES recently being installed with FAD or rafters around Malaita province have shown interest to pursue MPA or LMMA.

Principal Fisheries Officer under Malaita Provincial Fishery, Mr Martin Jasper said while deploying the Fish Aggregating Devises (FAD) or rafters last month they also encourage communities to protect their marine resources.

He said they told them if are interested to work towards establishing Marine Protected Area (MPA) or Local Marine Manage Area (LMMA).

Jasper said recently few communities agreed to pursue marine management initiatives, they include, Fote, Rufoki Mana’ere, Pita’ama, Afufu and Suava.

“So if they show interest on managing their resource, we will provide them with training on the importance of the FADs.

“The training is to educate people on the efforts they should do when having the FADs in their areas.

“This is the main reason behind the FAD project to encourage communities to protect their inshore marine resources.

“During the training we’ll look at educating them how to do marine management plan and other areas needed to understand in executing the management plan,” he said.

Jasper said the training is very important as a follow-up of the FADs deployed to teach the communities with knowledge and skills to manage or look after their marine resource.

He said they are working on funds and if available they are looking at rolling with the training towards mid this month.

BY BARNABAS MANEBONA

THE Boeing 737 fuselage currently parked near the MCA hangars, east of Henderson Airport, will be purposely used as a fire fighting simulator facility for the airport fire crew.

This is after some modifications on the fuselage.

“The Ministry of Communication and Aviation (MCA) as airport operator is responsible for such implementation,” said the Civil Aviation Authority of Solomon Islands (CAASI) Acting Director Brian Halisanau in response to concern over the fuselage that belonged to the Boeing 737, a jet cargo freighter crashing in 2014 at Henderson airport.

According to concern, the fuselage sight is an eyesore to the airports environment being parked there for years now.

The Boeing 737, a New Zealand registered aircraft in the livery of Toll Group (Australian based freight company) being flying from Brisbane to Solomon Islands was on touchdown when its right side gave way causing the crash.

Manager Commercial for Solomon Airlines Ltd (SAL) Mr Colin Sigimanu when also responding over the concern confirmed that the eyesore wreck sitting at the east end of the Domestic Terminal is under the custody of CAASI.

“It is the responsibility of the State to determine the cause of action to be taken,” said Sigimanu.

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

Auki

COMMUNITIES recently installed with rafters around Malaita Province have reported catches.

Principal Fisheries Officer under Malaita Provincial Fishery, Mr Martin Jasper says it’s a positive feedback from their work.

He said recently they installed about eight rafters in various locations in the province to help communities with fishing and encourage them with Community Based Resource Management (CBRM)

He said the eight communities include, Suava, Afufu, Mana’ere and Pita’ama in north Malaita, Rufoki, Fote, Bio in West Kwara’ae, Abitono in East Kwaio and Ta’arutona in West Are’are.

Jasper said the Fish Aggregating Devise (FAD) were inshore rafters which were made purposely for community fishing.

He said the rafters or FAD were between one to two kilometers from shoreline which made it easy for them to do pelagic fishing.

“As well, the idea is for people to turn fishing concentration from reef as often happen to open sea.

“This is so that marine resource on reefs can have chance to produce and reproduce.

“And that comes under marine management in which when we try to protect our reefs or encourage CBRM, there must be an alternative fishing ground establish for people to do fishing,” Jasper said.

He said according to reports received from the communities being installed with FADS, just only couple of days after the installment they started catching fish.

“We applauded that and urged the communities to encourage FAD fishing and also important to pursue CBRM for their reefs.”

Jasper said the FAD project was funded by ADB through the Coral Triangle Initiative programme; World Fish was the facilitating agent.