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Civil registration and vital statistics training

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Participants practise entering of data through tablets during the training.

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

Auki

Participants attending the Verbal Autopsy training in Auki on Monday

A two-day training on civil registration and vital statistics especially on verbal autopsy ends on 8th May in Auki.

The training is part of a project under WHO which has been carried out in the country since 2016.

Data for Health Country Coordinator of WHO, Mr Rodley Ruskin said the project aims to improve civil registration and vital statistics in the country.

He explained that civil registration and vital statistics covers areas on vital image of death and birth.

“This is to collect data on births and deaths in the country and also to improve registration.

“At the same the vital statistic part of it is to improve data to produce report where work can focus on its outcomes.

“For example, upon data collected especially on deaths in the country, we identify diseases leading to the death where it helps us to work on the disease,” Ruskin said.

He said the focus of the project for Solomon Islands is on collecting data on death.

“Last year we did training under the project for doctors across the country for certifying diseases resulted in deaths in the hospitals.

Participants practise entering of data through tablets during the training.

“Thus, we see a need to go right to rural areas with the project since big percent of deaths occur outside of hospitals.

“So this year we did verbal autopsy with the focus of certifying deaths happen outside of hospitals where sometimes happen in clinics or homes,” he said.

Ruskin said with this verbal autopsy method rural health practitioners can take probable cause of death (which is the disease) and enter them in the database for analysis.

“So the training now is to train rural health practitioners to understand how to use tablets with process require entering the data on deaths,” he said.

Ruskin said 15 health practitioners from across Malaita province are attending the training.

He said the training is facilitated by WHO and funded by Bloomberg Data for Institute and DFAT.

Culinary and hospitality training wraps up

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Participants of the Culinary Training posing for a group photo with Hon. Minister of Culture and Tourism Bartholomew Parapolo (front row, third from right)

BY MAVIS NISHIMURA PODOKOLO

One of the participants receiving his certificate from Hon. Minister
Bartholomew Parapolo.

THE culinary and hospitality training initiative carried out at the Honiara Hotel last week has successfully wrapped up over the weekend with certificate awards to the participants.

18 participants were taught on how to cook local food and basic hospitality.

Minister of Tourism and Culture Bartholomew Parapolo conveyed his appreciation to people who have supported the training, saying “Thanks for the support dedicated towards this very essential undertaking especially the betterment of catering and hospitality sector of the tourism industry in Solomon Islands.

“Participants you are so fortunate to be part of this training, hence I asked you to practice and use up knowledges obtained from this initiative.”

Rachel Bennett, a female participant, said the knowledge obtained on how to cook and prepare local foods will help Pacific island countries in terms of promoting local food for visitors to have a taste of the natural flavours and recipes.

Chef Collin Chung facilitator of the Culinary training.

“I would like to thank Chief Colin Chung to have taught us different styles of preparing and cooking of local foods as well as the hospitality,” she said.

Chef Colin Chung said a large part of this training is to empower communities to showcase the components of this country’s culture in terms of catering and hospitality.

“I believe that this initiative not only possible, but essential as selling tool and bonus to the country’s experience.”

The training was facilitated by Chef Chung.

Culinary and hospitality contributes to growth of tourism: Parapolo

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Hon. Minister for Culture and Tourism, Bartholomew Parapolo.

BY MAVIS NISHIMURA PODOKOLO

Hon. Minister for Culture and Tourism, Bartholomew Parapolo.

THE Minister of Tourism and Culture Bartholomew Parapolo has highlighted that culinary and hospitality has contributed to the growth and advancement of Solomon Islands Tourism sector.

He said this at the closing of the weeklong culinary and hospitality training at the Honiara Hotel over the weekend.

He said tourism industry is one sector that has contributed a lot to the expansion of this country’s economy.

“Hence organising and hosting of culinary and hospitality trainings is a bonus of the tourism industry.

“All this things have contributed a lot to the advancement of this particular sector because we are dealing with visitors,” Parapolo said.

A participant receiving her certificate from Hon. Minister Bartholomew Parapolo.

He said with regards to this initiative it is important the country must produce quality local foods and that the hospitality offered must be of standard to reflect Solomon Islands cultures and history.

The warm and friendly hospitality from the Happy Isles must be maintained, he adds.

Sandfly community on ‘mining destructive outcome’ awareness

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Kenneth Sagupari member of the Ngella Forum speaking during the awareness session. Photos by Aelanlife Photography/Ngella Forum page.

BY DANIEL KAKADI

Members of the Ngella Forum posing for a group photo.

THE Sandfly community in Ngella, Central province, have engaged in a two-day awareness on the destructive outcomes of mining over the weekend.

The talk was organised by a small team of four self-funded volunteers from the Ngella forum social media group.

The talk was held at Leitongo-1 and Dala villages attracting more than 100 listeners.

Speaking to the Island Sun, Ngella forum members said, “The purpose of the trip is to make awareness on the destructive outcome of mining if the sandfly people would allow mining to take place in sandfly.”

Leaders from both villages applaud the Ngella forum members for taking up the initiative to facilitate this awareness to their people, and are calling on the provincial government to listen to the people on such matters of concern.

One of the leaders in Leitongo-1 village says the Ngella forum group must work together with the Valevoukolu ( house of chiefs) to address mining and logging issues facing the province.

He questions whether mining is in the best interest of the Ngella people, or whether the people stand to benefit in the long run.

He adds that they have learnt lessons from neighbouring province Rennell and Bellona and the social and environmental problems the people there are facing, so as in neighbouring countries like PNG and Vanuatu.

Kenneth Sagupari member of the Ngella Forum speaking during the awareness session. Photos by Aelanlife Photography/Ngella Forum page.

The last day of awareness at Dala village have shown that people have expressed their support with the Ngella forum saying

Participants, during the last day of talks, expressed that “it is a good thing to see indigenous sons and daughters the upcoming generation of Ngella are taking the big steps to tackle issues that affect the people and the islands”.

Among the key speakers, were Kenneth Sagupari a degree-graduate in tourism and hospitality from USP and Francis William Rea, studying information science in the Philippines who also has experience in tracking mining in the Pacific.

Ngella Forum strongly condemns mining and logging in the Central province.

“One of the obvious avenue that fits Central province is tourism with the beautiful islands of central province once mining takes place as logging, mining and tourism don’t go together in development s we will lose our potential for tourism for ever,” says Mr Sagupari during the talk.

The team have thanked people who have supported in preparing and launching the talk. “It shows that we do have a big concern for our islands.”

Munda leads the way in West’s plastic-free campaign

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Woven coconut baskets at the Munda market

By Mike Puia

Gizo

A man doing his marketing using his coconut basket.

MUNDA, another big township in the Western province, is leading the way in the province’s plan to ban plastic as of July.

Most market venders in Munda are selling baskets for shopping that are weaved using coconut leaves.

At present, the use of plastic for shopping in shops and in markets is very high in the province. Apart from Asian shops, locals also buy plastics and re-sell them in small retail stores and in markets.

With a ban on plastic now coming up in the province, some people have commended the initiative as well as the practice done by Munda market vendors.

Perry, a Munda resident, told Island Sun Gizo that a ban will not be a surprise for their vendors.

He said the use of shopping baskets produced using tree leaves is good as they are environment friendly.

The young Munda resident said the ban will be an additional benefit for women in Munda who are into traditional basket weaving.

Woven coconut baskets at the Munda market

When announcing his province’s plastic ban plan, Premier Wayne Maepioh said his administration is aggressively pursuing it.

Maepioh said his administration is conscious about the environment of the province therefore the need to impose such restriction.

He said the plastic-free campaign has now reached its phase two for implementation.

The ban will cover shopping bags in markets and shops and ice-block plastics.

Maepioh also noted the ban would give the women of the province a lucrative business opportunity to tap into.

Munda vendors appear to have been enjoying home-basket weaving for shopping purpose.

NCD number one killer in the country

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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BY SAMIE WAIKORI

Auki

NON-communicable disease is reported to be the number-one killer in Solomon Islands.

According to a report recently released by WHO on data collected in every hospital in the country, the majority of deaths is categorised under NCD related disease.

Data for Health Country Coordinator of WHO, Mr Rodley Ruskin told this yesterday when asked on whether they have already released any report on verbal autopsy in the country.

He said for the project they are currently implementing, they are yet to release any report as they still gathering information or yet to gather enough data.

However, Ruskin said for hospitals they have already done an analysis on data collected where NCD ranks number one out of top 10 diseases in the country.

“So NCD is a big problem in the country where lots of people have died from its related diseases,” he said.

Ruskin said the report was made from data collected by doctors in hospitals across the country.

He said the report is only for hospitals however this current verbal autopsy will provide a nationwide report since it will collect data on all deaths in the country.

Suppliers agree to relabel products

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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BY MAVIS NISHIMURA PODOKOLO

THERE is good results from Honiara City Council’s (HCC) operation against foreign language labelled goods in shops last week, it is reported.

Wholesalers and HCC’s inspection unit have struck an agreement whereby the suppliers will relabel products with foreign-language labels using English.

HCC’s Chief Health inspector George Titulu hails this as a successful sign of ‘cooperation and understanding between shop owners and law implementers’.

“With regards to this positive outcome we have major companies and major wholesalers come forward and suggest if we can walk together with the relabeling issue, hence, conversation to walk the talk has already under way in between us.

“Honiara City council will let the general public, when and how will the process of relabelling will be conducted, this is to lessen the issues breaching the food labelling and foreign language by laws of the council,” he said.

He said with regards to the inspection operation, there have been criticisms faced by the taskforce but they never backed down because they were simply implementing the law as they have been mandated.

“When carrying out the operation we faced criticism but we never back down because what we are doing is based on what the law has mandated to us to it with a good faith,” Titulu said.

80 percent of shops in Honiara were inspected and more than 50 were found to be selling foreign-labelled goods.

4 men alleged of armed burglary in court

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

THE case against four men alleged of burgling homes in 2015 will be mentioned in the Honiara Magistrate Court today.

Frank Firimolea, Fred Taebo Dara, and Lawrence Liliva and a 15-year-old juvenile are facing various charges in relation to the armed robbery on different dates in May and June 2015.

Prosecution alleged that during those months, there were a number of armed robbery and break-in cases reported to police from the Ngossi area, west Honiara; to Ranadi, east Honiara.

The incidents involved a group of armed masked men between the ages of 15 and 30.

It was alleged this group invaded homes of expatriates, business people, as well as those of Solomon Islanders and removed valuable properties and money.

A number of home owners sustained injuries during the robbery incidents, and some had to be flown overseas for medical treatment.

Taiwan hands over $44.7m RSCD funds

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Prime Minister Rick Houenipwela signs one of the funding documents as Ambassador Luo looks on. Photos by PM press secretariat
Prime Minister Rick Houenipwela signs one of the funding documents as Ambassador Luo looks on. Photos by PM press secretariat

THE Government of the Republic of China (ROC) Taiwan has handed over a total of SBD$44.7 million to the Solomon Islands Government for the following causes:

  1. SBD$1.50 million for the 2017 ROC Support Constituency Development (RSCD) Second Tranche for five constituencies.
  2. SBD$10 million for the 2017 RSCD Third Tranche for 25 constituencies.
  3. SBD$14.4 million for the 2018 RSCD First Trance for 48 constituencies.
  4. SBD$18 million for the 2018 RSCD (Rural Social & Economic Development Project) for 47 constituencies.

During a courtesy call to the Office of the Prime Minister & Cabinet last Friday, the Taiwanese Ambassador to Solomon Islands, His Excellency Roger Luo presented documents to Prime Minister Rick Houenipwela, who signed them for the handover of the funds.

PM Hou was told by Ambassador Luo that the Government and People of the ROC (Taiwan) are pleased and committed to continually assist the Solomon Islands Government and people in their social and economic development efforts.

His Excellency Luo also discussed plans with the Prime Minister towards the opening of Taiwan’s agriculture substation in Adaliua.

Hou conveyed the appreciation of the Government and People of Solomon Islands to Ambassador Luo for Taiwan’s firm commitment to improve the livelihood of Solomon Islanders.

As part of the meeting, the Prime Minister was also briefed about his upcoming state visit to Taipei.

–OPMC PRESS

Airbus still awaits engine

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

BY BARNABAS MANEBONA

THE Solomon Airlines A320 H4-BUS being sent to ST Aerospace Engineering in Singapore for scheduled maintenance since February is still waiting for one of its engines under restoration work.

This is according to a Solomon Airlines media statement yesterday, which said one of the engines required some schedule restoration work to be carried out in which a six-month long search prior to the commencement of the scheduled check failed to find a suitable engine for Solomon Airlines to lease or purchase.

“The engine fitted to the A320 was sent to TAP engine workshop in Lisbon, Portugal, for the restoration work to be carried out in an agreed 56-day period.

“Due to the long lead time in acquiring parts, the 56 days have now passed and the engine is still in the workshop while the aircraft remains in Singapore awaiting the engine.

“There is a critical worldwide shortage of engines and parts and specifically for the CFM56-5A1 engine fitted to this aircraft. Other much larger carriers such as Air France and Air Canada are struggling to find engines.

“With only one A320 in the fleet, Solomon Airlines is obviously in a more difficult position than other airlines.”

As an interim solution, Nauru Airlines is currently flying the Solomon Airlines schedule under a wet lease arrangement.

It is anticipated the situation will be resolved within the next 30 to 60 days.

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