DEAR EDITOR, last week several clinics and hospitals in Malaita province were reported to have each received a boat and an outboard motor under a project worth $300,000.
It is my understanding that the support package was due to a three year partnership between Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI), an organisation based in Switzerland, and the SI Ministry of Health and Medical Services.
It is also my understanding that three provinces benefit from the existing partnership, Guadalcanal, Western and Malaita.
While very pleased to read of the link-up between GAVI and the MHMS I was intrigued to find out a little more about GAVI and the work that the organisation does.
“The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) is an international coalition of partners. It includes national governments, international organizations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank; philanthropic institutions, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Children’s Vaccine Program and the Rockefeller Foundation; the private sector, represented by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations (IFPMA); and research and public health institutions
“Many of the GAVI partners have several decades of experience in immunization, including the work toward eradicating poliomyelitis. In GAVI, the pharmaceutical industry’s participation as a full partner is an innovation.
“The Global Fund was created with an initial grant of US$ 750 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Since that time, the Governments of the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States have joined in supporting the Global Fund, pushing its total resources to above US$ 1 billion for 2001-2005. More countries are expected to contribute to the Global Fund and contributions from corporations and foundations will also be pursued.”
I very much value the SI MOHMS being in partnership with GAVI and much appreciate what the partnership is already bringing about in the Solomon Islands and I really hope more SI provinces will soon benefit from the valuable support the organization gives in health service delivery.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
