BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO
The new design of the Naha Birthing and Urban Health Centre project worth $150 million aimed at providing high quality birthing and care services for Naha and surrounding communities was launched on January 23rd.
Speaking to the event Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr Culwick Togamana said the Naha project has been a long time coming.
“Its establishment will be a first for Solomon Islands.
“The establishment of this Birthing Centre will be a first for the country and will enable high quality birthing services to be provided to mothers and their babies in modern, safe environment outside of the National Referral Hospital.
“This Birthing centre will have capacity for up to 1500 low risk deliveries per year and this will greatly assist with reducing the workload on the National Referral Hospital Delivery Wards and the National Referral Hospitals over-workers midwifery staff,” Togamana said.
He said the new Naha Birthing and Urban Health Centre will provide for the broader Naha ward community as well, through provision of primary health services for all, in a modern, new facility.
“The new Naha facility will be the first Urban Health Facility built to meet the requirements of the Ministry’s Role Delineation Policy, which is the major policy initiative of my Ministry aimed at providing quality, affordable health services closer to where people live,” Togamana said,
He said $150 million has been provided by the Australian Government for this project.
On the same note Australian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands Dr Lachlan Strahan says this project is really important to him as he approaches the conclusion of his time in the Solomons.
Strahan says this project was unveiled by the Australian and Solomon Islands prime ministers in 2018 – “so in fact it is a prime ministerial initiative”.
“This project is important because it is about the health of the community Honiara. This project is indeed very much a signatory project of our Solomon Islands Infrastructure Program (SIIP) programme.
“This facility will be accessible for people with disability and also we will be having more spaces for patients to feel comfortable. In the end it is all about making sure that people in this city especially the women receive the best possible medical care.
“It is also a very much corner stone of our health program here in Solomon Islands,” he said.
Naha Clinic Head Nurse Sr Lucy Maena says the ground breaking ceremony marks another chapter for the Naha health centre.
Maena said Naha clinic is one of the busiest clinic in Honiara Country Council and serves a huge catchment population in east Honiara. Yet, the size of the clinic remains the same and cannot provide a conducive waiting area for clients and also transporting sick patient to the National Referral Hospital cost a lot of money.
“With the new re -designed health facility my staffs are looking forward to work in the high classic quality health facility and to provide the much needed quality care for clients.
“We are so excited and looking forward to work inside the new facility upon its completion,” Maena said.
Moreover, the new re-designed health facility is larger with 34 beds, x-ray, ultrasound and operating theatre, dental, ear and eye health, large birthing suits with bath room, laundry and garden access, community pharmacy and larger room and family space.
A contractor will be confirmed in the coming months and construction is expected to be completed in 2025.
