- Health authorities strengthen prevention and treatment as prolonged admissions stretch hospital resources.
BY NED GAGAHE
The Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) has acknowledged that tuberculosis (TB) continues to place significant pressure on the National Referral Hospital (NRH), confirming that some patients have had to wait in the hospital’s Outpatient Department (OPD) and Emergency Department because the TB isolation ward has reached full capacity.
The ministry’s statement follows an Island Sun front-page report last week revealing concerns over the increasing number of TB cases in Honiara and reports that TB patients were being accommodated in the Emergency Department due to a shortage of isolation beds.
Responding to questions from Island Sun, MHMS confirmed in a media statement over the weekend that tuberculosis remains a major public health concern and continues to place a heavy burden on the country’s main referral hospital.
Hospital statistics show that at least three newly diagnosed TB patients are admitted through the Emergency Department each month.
At one stage, the OPD had 13 highly infectious TB patients waiting for admission to the TB ward because no beds were available.
According to the ministry, although TB is primarily a community health issue, it has a major impact on hospital operations because patients require prolonged admission, specialised isolation, daily treatment and intensive clinical care.
In 2025, the National Referral Hospital recorded 16,408 admissions from a total of 112,706 patients who sought medical treatment. Of those admissions, 158 patients were admitted to the TB ward.
The ministry said TB patients occupy hospital beds much longer than most other patients.
Their average hospital stay is 43.2 days, compared with the overall hospital average of 6.43 days.
“This extended length of stay contributes significantly to bed shortages, with increasing numbers of TB patients waiting in the OPD for admission to the TB ward,” the ministry said.
To address the growing demand, MHMS said the new TB hospital wing currently under construction will significantly increase the country’s capacity to manage tuberculosis patients.
The new facility will provide around 30 beds for patients requiring extended care, including nine isolation beds dedicated to newly diagnosed, acute and multidrug-resistant TB cases.
The ministry said the facility will also strengthen specialised TB care, research and the management of drug-resistant tuberculosis.
However, health authorities stressed that the new building alone will not stop the spread of TB.
“Reducing TB transmission will require a multisectoral approach involving individuals, families, communities and health partners, with greater emphasis on early screening and treatment,” the ministry said.
Meanwhile, the MHMS TB Division says it is intensifying nationwide efforts to prevent, detect and treat tuberculosis.
These include expanding TB services through primary health care, conducting contact tracing and hotspot screening, increasing preventive treatment, strengthening community-based care and improving laboratory diagnosis through the rollout of GeneXpert testing across all provinces.
The ministry is also recruiting additional TB personnel, strengthening medicine supply systems, improving disease surveillance through the DHIS2 reporting system, and enhancing coordination with provincial health authorities and development partners.
Public health campaigns are also continuing through radio awareness programmes, community education and the development of information materials that aim to encourage people to seek early testing and treatment.
Health officials said updated National TB Treatment Guidelines have already been launched and will soon be rolled out nationwide through training for clinicians, nurses and TB coordinators.
They also confirmed that active case-finding continues in TB hotspot communities and correctional facilities across Guadalcanal, Honiara and Malaita as part of efforts to reduce transmission.
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