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.
