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MEDICINE HELP ARRIVES

Written by
Irwin Angiki
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(Left-right) NMS Manager Mr Wesley Kukutu, Health PS Mrs Pauline McNeil, Counsellor Human Development Australia High Commission, Mr Mika Kontiainen & Ethel Wasuka Senior Programme Manager Health, Australia High Commission Office. Photo by MHMS/ Facebook PR.

Australia steps in with 4-month stock of essential drugs & consumables

BY IRWIN ANGIKI

Australia has stepped in to aid Solomon Islands with much needed medicines.

This four-month supply of out-of-stock essential drugs and consumables comes amid a drug-shortage crisis hitting the country.

Government, through the ministry of health (MHMS) has acknowledged this critical support saying it will sustain the country until its annual order begins to arrive in May.

The seriousness of the drug shortage had forced MHMS to reach out to Australia for help.

“As part of the overall efforts of the ministry to address the shortages and stock outs, the Ministry of Health has reached out to Australia for support to fill in the gaps,” MHMS Facebook post yesterday said.

“Following subsequent discussions, Australia has agreed to provide [three to four months] supply of out of stock of essential drugs and consumables while the annual order for 2023 – 2024 starts to arrive in May 2023.”

In its social media announcement this week, the Australian High Commission (AHC) reiterates that Australia “does not usually supply medicines, this is a national government responsibility, but when the need is great, as it is here, we will step in when asked to assist our neighbours”.

The supplies were delivered to the MHMS on Tuesday.

Explaining the shortage of medicine in the capital and other parts of the country, MHMS said:

“Stock levels of certain essential drugs and consumables have been low in the past months and despite stock ups, efforts to replenish provincial stock levels including high consumption and rate of usage by end users have depleted stocks at the National Medical Store.

“Timely replenishment of these essential medical drugs and consumables has been hindered due to multiple factors.

“These include slow delivery by suppliers, international shipping delays, and MHMS financial constraints and internal procurement and payment processes to fulfill, debt repayment to vendors and distribution challenges which includes reluctance of domestic ships to load medical supplies for the provinces have all contributed to the delays with replenishments of essential medical drugs and consumables at the NMS and across health facilities.”

The consignments that arrived this week contain 27 types of medicines and five consumables, MHMS said. Adding that more ‘shipments will be delivered as they become available’.

An elated permanent secretary for MHMS Ms Pauline McNeil says, “The replenishment cannot come at a better time and clearly the efforts by the Australian Government demonstrate to the Solomon Island Public that Australia and MHMS is working in partnership to respond to the current situation such as this and will continue to do so.”

Handing over the supplies, AHC Counsellor Human Development Mika Kontiainen said Australia recognises the importance of maintaining adequate stock levels and the challenges faced by the Ministry therefore have agreed to support the provision of these essential medical supplies, MHMS reports.

Media for the last few months had signaled drug shortage in the capital’s national referral hospital (NRH) and clinics in some of the provinces.

This week clinics near Auki were reportedly sending patients home with paracetamol. Others which still had little stock left were able to give adult patients children’s dose of malaria tablet Coartem.

Warrant of arrest for Nehemiah

Written by
Jennifer Kusapa
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BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

PRINCIPAL Magistrate Felix Hollison has issued a warrant of arrest on Martin Pola Nehemiah for not appearing in court yesterday.

Yesterday the case was listed for continuation of trial however Nehemiah failed to attend and the court issued a warrant.

Hollison made orders that police finds him and bring him to court for possible remand.

Nehemiah who was charged for three counts of false pretence in relation to the alleged incident that occurred on February 5, 2019.

The allegation said the accused met with the owner of the shop and introduce himself as the president of the Accelerate Christian Education Schools of Solomon Islands.

Upon their discussion the shop owner at Smart Technology convinced and agreed for the accused to collect the items discussed and will be re-paid when the school grants are ready.

Later on, February 28, 2019 around 10am the accused came and collected one mobile phone at a cost of $2, 250 as according to the agreement and walked out with a proforma invoice, again on March 15, 2019 he collected one notebook laptop14 inches and 1X 8c honour brand mobile, later on March 28, 2019, he again went to the Smart technology shop and collected two Redmi mobile handsets.

The total cost of all items collected is $12, 150, couple of months later the shop owner made several attempts to call the accused to settle his credits but was unsuccessful.

The shop owner gave him enough time but till March 2021 the accused never turned up to settle his credits and the matter was reported to the police in which the accuse Nehemiah was arrested and charged.

John Palmer Teula of the Police Prosecution Department appeared for prosecution.

MHMS confirms increased numbers of STIs,HIV, unwanted pregnancies and unsafe sex

Written by
Mavis Podokolo
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Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr Culwick Togamana

BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO

MINISTRY of Health and Medical Service is seeing increases in the number of Sexual Transmitted Infections (STI), HIV, unwanted pregnancies and unsafe sex.

This is according to the Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr Culwick Togamana.

“The Ministry is seeing increases in the number of STIs/HIV cases in the country, including unwanted pregnancies and unsafe sex. There are substantial portion of the population yet to be reached with information around Sexual and Reproductive Health including related services,” Togamana said.

He said HIV/STI/Hepatitis national programme of the MHMS is proud to work closely the Solomon Islands Planned Parenthood Association SIPPA.

“We have secured funds through WHO under Global Fund to implement a targeted key population intervention project which SIPPA is the implementing partner.

“SIPPA has been instrumental and a key partner in ensuring that HIV incidence is low in the country through its resourceful activities.

“Other NGOs have realigned their priorities but SIPPA stands tall with the HIV/STI/Hepatitis national programme in our fight against HIV, STI, Hepatitis in the country,” Togamana said.

He said the Solomon Islands Planned Parenthood Association has been the leading Non-government Organisation in addressing the STIs/HIV cases in the country, including unwanted pregnancies and unsafe sex.

“Indeed, SIPPA remains an important partner of the Ministry of Health in the delivery of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services including education and awareness as well as in addressing many of the issues related to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights,” Togamana said.

He adds while there is so much to appreciate and celebrate, there is still so much yet to achieve, accomplish and fulfil.

Tar-sealing of Auki roads soon: Fini

Written by
Samie Waikori
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Premier of Malaita province, Hon Martin Gaote’e Fini.

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

Auki roads will be tar-sealed soon, Premier Martin Fini has announced.

In his keynote address speech during full assembly on Tuesday this week he said a team will be in Auki soon to begin work on the project.  

“The tar-sealing of the Auki region roads is to commence shortly.

“An assessment team is expected to arrive in Auki soon to begin work on this infrastructure project,” Fini said.

“The infrastructure situation in Malaita is in dire need. We can no longer ignore this reality. Road, bridges, wharves and other major infrastructures are ruin and run down.

“Transportation is badly affected as a result of the run-down infrastructures. Roads are disconnected affecting reliable transportations to isolated communities to access essential services such as health, education and markets.

“Economic activities have been drastically affected. Our farmers are disconnected. Their products are also disconnected due to transport difficulty caused by run down infrastructure.

“Even some Malaitan businesses were also run down due to cashflow problems as economic activities are affected,” Fini said.

He said this has become challenges for ordinary Malaitans to make ends meet.

He said it is for these reasons and many others that MNGFR reached out to development partners to help in addressing the situation.

“As a province, we are taking a strategic direction by tackling our development issues and addressing these under the legal framework of our laws.

“We want to mend the bridges that have broken over the last few years so as to reconnect and build relationship and establish legal institutions to manage and engage resource owners’ participation.

“We want to ensure our resources owners are protected and become investors rather than fall to the bulling and skimming plans of foreign investors.

“I want to assure that MNGFR will carry out its mandated roles and executing all actions, activities within the roles, functions and boundaries of the laws with the objectives of creating financial opportunities, employment and reducing poverty for our people,” Fini said.

SINU MASS EVICTION

Written by
Eddie Osifelo
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RSIPF PRT and Solomon Islands National University (SINU) securities carried out an eviction order on former staff residing at Kukum campus on Tuesday.

University kicks out property residents after years of failed negotiations

By EDDIE OSIFELO

SOLOMON Islands National University (SINU) is continuing a mass eviction exercise on 40-plus former staff residing in its properties at Kukum and Panatina campuses.

The eviction began last week.

This came after former staff refused to vacate the properties since their contracts expired on July 31, 2021.

SINU used their securities and Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) Police Response Team to carry out the eviction based on an order from the High Court.

Estee Lonamei, Senior Marketing & Promotions Officer of SINU said what happened was an unfortunate situation and SINU management had not wanted to reach this far.

However, he said because the former staff have occupied the University’s properties, SINU has lost about $3.8 million in rental.

“The former staff have occupied their properties without paying any rental, water and electricity bills in the last 14 months.

“The money lost should go to pay for extra desks, materials and building new buildings,” Lonamei said.

Furthermore, Lonamei said High Court had given the occupants seven days to vacate the properties, but they refused.

He said some staff had complied with the High Court eviction order and moved out.

Lonamei said the former workers had demanded SINU pay their long-term benefits before they would leave.

However, he said SINU did not pay their long term benefits after their contracts ended, only their gratuity pay.

Gratuity is a payment made to an employee by an employer in recognition of long and meritorious service, above and beyond the usual wages or salary.

It is usually a percentage of the employee’s total wages or salary for the entire period of service.

Further to that, Lonamei said SINU had already paid the former employees their repatriation package.

He said the highest repatriation package was about $24,000 where SINU paid to a former staff from Temotu province.

The former staff have described the forced eviction as ‘inhumane’ treatment.

This was after they were forced to sleep outside the properties in makeshift homes because SINU securities had locked them out.

One of the women Island Sun spoke to said it was heartbreaking to see police and SINU securities remove their belongings out of the properties.

“Our family have to sleep in small extension we built beside our home.

“Sometimes during heavy rain, we make sure our children sleep well and don’t get wet at night,” she said.

Minister of Education and Human Resources, Lanelle Tanangada told Parliament in 2021 that about 123 academic staff and 107 support services staff are affected by the exercise.

This includes 34 in Faculty of Education and Humanities, 29 in Faculty of Science and Technology, 17 in Faculty of Business and Tourism, 18 in Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science is 17 and Distant Flexible Learning is eight.

About 70 percent of these staffs are former staffs of the then Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (SICHE).

Almost 90 percent of them have a basic degree in teaching streams while large numbers in the TVET areas have only certificates.

The administrative departments were dominated by staff with diplomas and certificates.

She said there was no mass termination at SINU as claimed by media.

“What I understand based on advice being given by SINU management is notices have been issued to staffs whose contracts have ended and a recruitment exercise has been conducted to fill in the positions,” Tanangada explained.

“This is a normal university activity that administration conducts at the expiry of contracts of staff,” she added.

Furthermore, Tanangada explained that at the inception of SINU in 2013, it adopted a recruitment policy that required all staff recruited by SINU to be on a three-year contract.

She said previously staff were on continuing appointment, meaning it has an open-ended time frame.

Moreover, Tanangada said as SINU Council resolution dated June 22, 2015, all positions must be advertised in the open market before the contracts expired.

She said the rationale was to recruit staff that meet SINU minimum qualifications requirement known as MQR to teach at the university and upgrade to a level and quality of the programme that is taught at the university.

“Similarly positions in administrations and logistics support services at SINU are also advertised as to well-educated and competent persons.

“Up until now and owning to a variety of reasons such as allowing for a period of transitions, the recruitment policy was never previously adhered to and comply with,” she said.

Tanangada said following a period over eight years now as per SINU Council resolution, dated March 29, 2021, the management has now considered it most appropriate to execute the recruitment policy smoothly and seamlessly for purposes of upgrading the quality of the programmes offered at SINU and attracting competent administrative support staffs.

SIPPA lauded for leading sexual,reproductive health services

Written by
Mavis Podokolo
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Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr Culwick Togamana

BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO

MINISTRY of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) has praised Solomon Island Planned Parenthood (SIPPA) for taking the lead in sexual and reproductive health services in the country.

Minister for MHMS Dr Culwick Togamana lauded SIPPA on behalf of the Ministry.

Togamana said in sexual and reproductive health services throughout the country SIPPA has been one of the leading NGOs with its staff who are well trained, qualified midwives and registered nurses including trained health personnel.

“This will surely contribute to our efforts to achieve Strategic Objective number-3 of our National Strategic Plan that is to have equitable access to fully implemented, quality health care programmes,” he said.

Togamana said the Ministry also acknowledges SIPPA’s annual operational plans and policies which are well aligned to that of MHMS’s sexual and reproductive health policies and programmes.

“This will ensure better governance in the health sector. Improving governance in the health sector is one of the key Strategic Objectives in our 10-year National Health Strategic Plan 2022 -2031 launched last year.

“As per objective number two of the 10-year plan, which is our system and resources meet our needs and are responsibly managed, SIPPA has always been a champion especially when it comes to sharing of resources, workforce, services and finances,” he said.  

Togamana echoed the above statement at the recent sealing of a Memorandum of Understanding between SIPPA and MHMS on sexual and reproductive health services.

Police Commissioner refutes claims by journalist Sasako

Written by
Jennifer Kusapa
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Police Commissioner Mostyn Mangau.

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

POLICE Commissioner Mostyn Mangau has refuted claims by journalist Alfred Sasako accusing the police boss of losing a report on the assassination plot on Prime Minister Sogavare.

Mr Mangau said he has not received any report as alluded to by Mr Sasako.

“At no time has my office received such a report as mentioned by the author. However, the National Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) of the Royal Solomon Island Police Force (RSIPF) is currently investigating the matter,” Mangau said.

Sasako in a letter to Island Sun over the weekend has described articles published by the paper last week as “a bundle of lies” [See letter to the editor on page 6].

One of the articles he attacked, titled – Sasako invited by police for questioning over his article ‘Top Secret Out’ – reported on Commissioner Mangau telling a press conference that police had ‘invited’ Sasako for questioning over his media article claiming an assassination plot against prime minister Sogavare.

Sasako claimed Commissioner Mangau was given detailed briefings with supporting document on the assassination plot during weekly security briefings.

He said the reason the two CID officers had wanted to see him was that their boss had “lost” the report on the assassination plot.

“The second article appeared last Friday. It is a report which appears to be based on Commissioner Mostyn Mangau’s weekly news conference the day before.

“Nothing the commissioner said could be further from the truth.

“Indeed, if the news article written by Island Sun was a true account of what Commissioner Mangau had said, then the Commissioner was deliberate in his intent to mislead the people of Solomon Islands and to tarnish my name.

“At best the Commissioner’s statement was deliberately designed to mislead and to cast doubt on my character as a potential candidate in the upcoming national general election.

“Can you imagine a police commissioner entrusted with top secret reports but failed in his duty to do the right thing?” Sasako said in his letter.

MEDI is not taking over MPG: Fini

Written by
Samie Waikori
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Premier of Malaita province, Hon Martin Gaote’e Fini.

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

PREMIER of Malaita Martin Fini says the Malaita Economic Development Initiative (MEDI) is not taking over MPG but providing support to his government.

He made the clarification during his keynote address yesterday, responding to critics in social media claiming that MPG has been delegated its roles and functions by MEDI, a cabinet established subcommittee.

“I would like to clarify to the people of Malaita that the roles and functions of MPG will not be taken over, replaced or even duplicated.

“Although the critics were implying that my MNGFR is currently engaged in negotiating some forms of devolution of powers to MEDI under section 29 and 30 of the PG Action 1997.

“Let me assure you that this is not happening and will not happen,” Fini said.

He explained that MPG engaged the technical expertise of MEDI to support the capacity of his government on its redirection policy to deliver within the 11th hour.

Saying this is especially on areas of negotiating, settlement and discharging of key fundamental interventions under section 29 and 30 of Provincial Government Act (PGA) 1997.

He adds, other areas include legal advice, commerce, strategic planning and policy development, project appraisal and development to support the normal functions and responsibilities of MPG and partners.

He said these are the expertise and support MNGFR gets through MEDI.

Fini labels Honiara tour as ‘fruitful’

Written by
Samie Waikori
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Premier of Malaita province, Hon Martin Gaote’e Fini.

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

Malaita’s new premier Martin Fini has described his engagement with the national government and donors as ‘fruitful’.

Fini and his delegation were in Honiara last week.

The 17-man delegation had set the scene for development through engagement and dialogue for Malaita province, Fini said.

“I am pleased with the outcome of my recent delegation’s engagement and dialogue with the national government and member of international donor partners in Honiara.

“Our first engagement and dialogue were with the government of Japan through her Ambassador to Solomon Islands, in which the ambassador received us with open arms.

“The meeting with Japan was successful and Japan has indicated that they are willing and ready to engage,” he said.

Fini said the second meeting was with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and his government.

“That the meeting too was successful and set the scene for future engagement and dialogue on many unsettled issues of the province.”

He said Sogavare was very gracious in accepting the delegation and pledged full support of his government to work closely with MNGFR.

Fini said the third meeting was with Australia and it was also a successful meeting as it paved the way for future engagement and dialogue.

He said the fourth meeting and final engagement and dialogue was with the PRC.

“His Excellency, the ambassador of China to SI described the meeting as a historic one given the attitude and treatment accorded to PRC by the previous regime.

“The ambassador used the opportunity also to clear a lot of misinformation about RPC’s interest in developing our infrastructure.

“Like all the previous meetings, this successful meeting has paved the way for future engagement and dialogue.

“PRC is pleased that the intervention by the MNGFR is finally speaking the international language for development,” Fini said.

MHMS to revise mental health policy

Written by
Mavis Podokolo
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Chief Executive Officer of the National Referral Hospital Dr George Malefoasi.

BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO

MINISTRY of health and medical services (MHMS) is looking at revising its mental health policy and bringing it to cabinet following increasing number of individuals suffering from psychotic mental disorders.

This was confirmed by Chief Executive Officer of the National Referral Hospital Dr George Malefoasi.

“Due to increasing number of youth, men and women suffering from neurotic and psychotic mental disorders. Especially depression among youths, the revised mental health policy is due for cabinet consideration calls for multi-sectoral approach in caring, promoting and protection of mentally illness in the country,” Malefoasi said.

He said some relatives have shown willingness to support the psychiatric department in contributing to the welfare of the psychiatric patients.

“That said, plan is in place for Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) and NRH to build the proposed new Mental Health Acute ward well before the Games in November. This project has been approved since 2021 but couldn’t start due to Covid 19 and due to payment process delays,” Malefoasi said.

“The new mental health acute ward will make available five beds for acute patients, and one for very critical patients needing isolation and management. So we are working on this now,” he said.

Malefoasi confirmed that the ward will be built next to the current day clinic and NRH psychiatric unit next to the old morgue site.

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