BY BEN BILUA
Gizo
PREMIER of Western Province has urged the Parliament’s Health and Medical Service Committee to raise issues they have discussed to the parliament.
David Gina made the statement when the Committee made a courtesy visit to his office yesterday.
The Committee is on a mission to visit and take stock of needed improvement on quarantine facilities in Western and Choiseul provinces.
Speaking during the discussion, Gina said Western Province hosts more than four quarantine facilities, some of which are in need of upgrading.
He made mention of the quarantine facility at Noro that is in need of urgent assistance from the government to maintain its capacity.
“Quarantine Facility at Noro is going down due to lack of management. There is no security at the site and also there is no cleaner to clean the surrounding,” he said.
Gina said continual support towards managing and maintaining of quarantine facilities are important as far as covid-19 response and preparedness is concerned.
Chairperson of Western Province Disaster Committee, Jeffrey Wickham said the Quarantine Facility at Noro is gazetted by the government – meaning the government is responsible to look after the facility.
He said there has not been any direct assistance from the government to upgrade the Noro Quarantine Facility.
Wickham said Noro Quarantine Facility should be treated as a priority as Noro is also at risk due to international ships docking at Noro International Port on a daily basis.
He urged the committee that fair distribution of assistance towards Quarantine Facilities development is very important.
Wickham said amount of support towards quarantine facilities must be standard across the board – meaning provincial quarantine sites should receive similar supports and treatments like quarantine sites in Honiara.
Chairman of National Parliament Health and Medical Services Committee, Charles Sigoto said the oversight committee will gather information and provide a report to the Speaker of Parliament where the report will be tabled later this year.
He said the recommendation will look at how to improve quarantine facility services and how best the interventions would be for best outcome.
“Committee is independent so as the report that will be presented to the Speaker of Parliament
“Our committee is fairly representing the parliament as you can see, we are from both side of the house – the government side and opposition.
“Our mandate is to look at how well we as a country can provide the best quarantine facilities as part of responding and preparation for COVID-19 worst case scenario,” Sigoto said.
Sigoto said recommendations will be submitted and it will be up to the government to take action or not.
