BY SAMIE WAIKORI

THE national public health laboratory (NPHL) under the Ministry of Health (MHMS) is working to attain the international standard accreditation – ISO 17025.

Hopefully by the end of 2019, NPHL will be accredited with the accreditation.

Director of NPHL Dickson Manongi said that after a workshop held earlier this year, a steering committee was established to oversee implementation and management of the project as well as provide guidance as needed.

He said currently they working round the clock to prepare the facility.

Manongi said as part of their preparation there is an internal arrangement to allow laboratory preparation and work to flow unhindered.

He said instrument and equipment, expired reagents, culture agars and medium that were expired or out of service were discarded.

“Relocated of officers seating arrangement out of the lab analytical to nontoxic environment.

“Relocate hazard chemical storage to outside Hazchem hut outside the Laboratory, repair of water systems and plumbing systems like toilets.

“Repair air-condition ensuring the internal temperature is sustain and maintain services, internal airflow for the sterile room and SOPs for proper disposal of Hazardous chemicals and biological microorganisms,” Manongi said.

He added, the laboratory was assigned to perform tests on 50- 100 plus sample of food per week including water samples, environmental samples and manufactured drinking water.

Manongi said samples also needed on disease outbreak investigation, food from industries (bakeries, beverages, Ice creams, others), waste discharge (mining, palm oils, workshops, housing estates, institutions) and environment pollution (rivers and coastal seas).

They have also made orders through the National Medical Stores for consumables to carry out lab analysis for biological and chemical testings

Manongi said orders are on agars, cultures, medium and equipment from overseas supplies.

Adding that NPHL is also pursuing the laboratory quality management manual system (LQMMS) as it’s very important as a reference for accreditation.

He said the purpose for LQMMS is to direct the lab in two major aspects of lab management that is required to encompass 15 subsections and the technical requirement that has 10 subsections within NPHL.

Manongi said as part of the preparation NPHL needs four additional staffs who have knowledge in Medical Laboratory Science or Chemistry food or clinical Microbiology.

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

A woman alleged of assaulting another woman on January 18 this year has pleaded not guilty to the charge of assault causing actual bodily harm yesterday.

Rachel Sam was arraigned in the Honiara Magistrate Court before Principal Magistrate Ricky Iomea.

She appeared in person as she is yet to secure any legal representation.

She told court that she went to the Public Solicitor’s Office five times for a lawyer to assist her but they told her they were busy.

Police alleged Rachel assaulted another woman in Honiara and the matter was reported and she was charged for the offence.

Magistrate Iomea then adjourned the case to October 30 and also made direction for the woman to secure a lawyer to assist her on the PTC since she entered a not guilty plea.

Police Prosecution Service prosecutes the case in court.

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

DEFENCE lawyer representing Simon Fiusale has requested disclosures from Public Prosecution for his client, and the case will appear again on November 1.

This is in relation to an incident in Malaita in July last year where five men are alleged to have been in possession of firearm.

Public Prosecutor Bradley Dalipanda told court that three of the five accused were absconding and admits in court that he cannot assist the court on the status of the execution of warrant, because only limited instruction was given in the file.

Meanwhile he told the court that disclosures will be served during the adjournment.

The court was also told that the other accused Iki Olomea is still without a lawyer and thus had to secure a lawyer before the next date of appearance.

Principal Magistrate Fatimah Taeburi told the accused to visit the Public Solicitor’s Office every day so that he can be allocated a lawyer.

Simon Fiusale and Iki Olomea were charged together with three other accused who are currently under warrants of arrest.

They were charged for in possession of fire-arm and threatening violence.

Three other accused men currently under warrant are Leonard Ofaka, Bredley Abarai and Jimmy Eno Bana and they are jointly charged with other two of one count of possession of firearm and threatening violence each.

Police said that the men were drunk and threatened the employees of Dalgro Construction Company that won the bid for Bridge Construction at the Tabaa Bridge in North Malaita on July 21, 2016.

It was alleged that one of the men who hold the gun which is a 303 rifle black in colour put in a bullet and then cocked the gun pointing it at the workers.

Police also ceased the alleged weapon believed to be used by the accused.

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

Public Prosecution has sought adjournment for the case against Honiara businessman James Fang to allow them time to lay appropriate charges on the co-suspect.

Court then adjourned the case for October 31 for mention.

Public Prosecutor Bradley Dalipanda told court yesterday that on the previous occasion, court was told that during adjournment prosecution will lay appropriate charges on the co-suspect but that has not been done.

Dalipanda said the prosecutor in carriage is currently away in Nigeria to visit her sick mother and will be away for a month, nothing much has been done since the last adjournment.

He assures court that during this adjournment they will make sure to sort out the issues and on the next appearance prosecution will update court on the status of the case.

Defence lawyer Anderson Kesaka then told court that they will apply for bail variation for the accused and also seek the court’s permission to return the files belonging to the accused, James Fang.

Principal Magistrate Ricky Iomea then adjourned the case to Friday this week for bail variation and on October 31 for mention.

James Fang is being accused of having forged and uttered documents earlier this year

He is facing a charge of Forgery and Uttering.

The charges stem from an extensive enquiry into the legitimacy of a document emailed to the Inland Revenue Division.

The document was a letter purporting to have been authored by a Government Minister, authorising the waiving of $14,000,000 in tax payable to the Government of Solomon Islands, through the Inland Revenue Division of the Ministry of Finance & Treasury.

Investigations revealed that signature on the letter were not that of the Minister.

James Fang is the owner of Fangs Shop and other businesses in Honiara.

BY CAROL-ANNE SULEGA

THE new Citizenship Bill 2017 will make efforts by Solomon Islanders who were forced out of the country during the black birding days as laborers easier to apply for Solomon Islands citizenship.

Hon Dr Culwick Togamana, a member of the Bills and Legislation Committee (BLC) queried the sponsoring ministry of the Bill, the Ministry of Home Affairs, on what the proposed Bill could do for Solomon Islander labourers from the black birding days.

He queried how these Solomon Islanders would be able to return or acquire dual citizenship if the new Bill were to come into force as an Act.

The Bill allows Solomon Islanders by birth who have lost their citizenship and reconnect with their country of origin.

It specifically states to facilitate the reintegration and return of Solomon Islanders by ancestry and their children who have lost their citizenship through marriage, naturalisation or displacement due to forced labour.

BY CAROL-ANNE SULEGA

THE Citizenship Bill 2017 regulations have been drafted in a way to not be discriminatory as applicably possible.

This was a statement by Pamela Wilde, the Legal Policy Advisor of the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs (MJLA) before the Bills and Legislation Committee (BLC) this week.

She made the statement in response to queries by the Chairman of the BLC, Hon Connelly Sandakabatu on the proposed legislation’s section that specifies spousal relationships.

“We were careful when the Bill was drafted so that it would be non-discriminatory,” Wilde added.

The Bill is non-discriminatory to persons with disabilities, race and religion who wish to acquire citizenship in Solomon Islands.

Pamela Wilde then highlighted that if a person is in a genuine de facto relationship considering the duration, financial commitments between the duo and mutual assets acquired during the duration of their de facto relationship, they too are able to apply for citizenship just as formally married couples.