DEAR EDITOR, through your column I wish to acknowledge the recent 2018 Loloma Foundation Medical Mission to The Russell and Florida Islands.

The Bilikiki became the ‘mobile clinic’, for volunteers from Solomon Islands, the US and Australia providing free dental, optical, paediatric, women’s health, general medical and pharmacy services to over 2300 men, women and children of Central province.

The Bilikiki deck became the dental clinic, with dentists and dental nurses providing check ups, performing extractions and fillings, while a dental educator provided fun dental hygiene sessions with children, followed by fluoride treatments and distribution of toothbrushes.

The eye doctors provided vision checks, referrals where needed to the Fred Hollows clinic in Honiara, issued reading glasses, and sunglasses for children. The paediatrician and general doctors provided checkups, referrals to NRH, and administered medication where needed.

The Women’s Health doctors, nurses and educators undertook menstrual health education, distributed re-useable pad kits and performed pap smears for cervical cancer checks.

It was a privilege to be part of the team of local and international medical and health volunteers supplementing the health care available to Solomon Islanders.

Annie Knappstein

(2013-2015 AVID Volunteer, SICCP, Honiara)

South Australia

DEAR EDITOR, the intention of this article is to get the attention of the concern ministry to strengthen its provincial agencies, specifically MEA.

Firstly, absenteeism among MEA officers is alarming.

Some EA officers rarely attend to their duties but only come to the office three days a week or sometimes twice a week.

The reasons for non- attendance to office duties are not publicly known but it is happening daily and soon it will be a routine.

I therefore, humbly call on the responsible officers from MEHRD division to address this issue and put in place appropriate mechanism that will curb this habit.

Secondly, lateness for MEA officers is chronic now in 2018. I see no reasons for MEA officers to come late because there are two vehicles that are tag under this Authority with available fuel which often billed to the EA by a local a depot.

However, normal timing for some EA officers to attend to their official duties is not 8.30, 9.30 but often beyond these hours.

Because of this, accountable officers from MEHRD need to monitor this agency to improve punctuality needs to be done.

Thirdly, few officers of this said EA are not doing their mandated duties. For example, the MEA School inspector for Eastern region is station at Afio in South Malaita instead of Atori in the east.

Such location will cost the government excessive imprest should a visit is plan for Eastern region of Malaita.

Therefore, I call upon the Inspectorate division of MEHRD to address such expensive undertaking.

The assets of this inspectorate division such as OBM too need proper management.

Fourthly, ample thanks and applaud to some hard working officers who ensure the division is functioning each day.

To be specific, the MEA secretary who work tirelessly, the inspectorate for northern region who almost complete her school visitations, the inspectorate for central region and few other officers who are not specifically mention here.

Finally, MEA is a big authority and when services are not properly delivered, media has to ring the bell so that responsible authority could able to see what they do not able to see each day.

Thus, the issues raise in this letter is not intended to tarnish the MEA administration but to reveal few weakness that requires improvements.

Thank you

Concerned school teacher

Malaita province

DEAR EDITOR, recently I wrote a letter to your newspaper with the title, “The essential steps to better democracy, trust and progress in the Solomon Islands,” and you were kind enough to have considered it for publication.

The letter, in the main, focused on the need for greater transparency on the allocation and use of CDF money following concerns raised at the IMF meeting in Honiara and issues that have been raised by people at the grass roots of society over what is seen to be a lack of development in the various constituencies.

I attributed the whole of CDF money, incorrectly, to emanate from the Republic of China (on Taiwan) but have been corrected in my assumption by Ms Ruth Lioqula of TSI who wrote to me, today, and gave me the following information (quote)

“The funding for the CDF is not all from Taiwan. The bulk of it is from Solomon Islands Tax Payers money. Just as an example in 2016, only 20% of CDF comes from Taiwan Tax Payers funds, 80% is from SIG Public Funds. Breakdown is as follows: Total budget for 2016 is $345,000,000.00. Of this $70,000,000 from Taiwan and $275,000,000.00 is Solomon Islands Tax-payers money or public fund of Solomon Islands.

Better to disseminate the correct information is TSI’s view.”

I am grateful to Ruth for the correct make-up of the CDF although it just adds to my existing concerns over constant complaints, and complaints becoming ever more vocal, about how the CDF money is used to bring about infrastructure, jobs, better livelihoods and generally improve the conditions for the rural communities, especially as I now know that tax payers money makes up the bulk of CDF allocations.

Yours sincerely

Frank Short