General News from Solomon Islands

After Christmas 2006, a generator in Lata broke down and power has been erratic or completely absent ever since. The required spare part had to be ordered from overseas once more and therefore the power supply problems will continue for several weeks. As a matter of fact, Lata Hospital is heavily affected by this problem and Director of Temotu Provincial Health Services, Dr Günter Kittel urged authorities to pay more attention to public facilities in remote areas and have essential parts available on site instead of having them order from overseas every time.

See his letter to the editor of Solomon Star.

Power supply in Lata has been unreliable for quite some time. (See news item above.) Repeated power surges have damaged refrigerators, air conditioners and lights worth up to SBD 37,000 at the hospital. Finally, power was only available for a few hours at weekends, which resulted in loss of medical supplies (e.g. vaccines) worth thousands of dollars. Director of Temotu Provincial Health Services, Dr Günter Kittel is considering taking Solomon Islands Electricity Authority (SIEA) to court for negligence of service, if nothing is done to restore power to the hospital soon.

Electric power in Lata was restored on Sunday evening, much to the delight of the population and Dr Günter Kittel at Lata Hospital. (See news item above.) The outage was caused by a broken fuel pump, which is said to have been damaged by the use of coconut oil in the past years. Finally, a replacement pump arrived from Honiara on Saturday evening and was subsequently installed. The generator is currently run with diesel fuel again.

In a letter to the editor of Solomon Star, Dr Günter Kittel, Director of Temotu Provincial Health Services appreciates the restoration of electric power in Lata and thanks the Solomon Islands Electricity Authority engineer for coming to Lata and doing the repair. However, he points out that coconut oil was only used as a diesel substitute for a few weeks in the second half of 2003 and was never used again in the years thereafter. So, use of coconut oil cannot be blamed for the power problems in the past months. (See news item above.)

On April 2, 07:40 local time an earthquake hit the Western Province of Solomon Islands and triggered a tsunami.

The quake: magnitude 8.1, location 45km SSE of Gizo or 345km NNW of Honiara, depth 10km. Until about midnight today (April 3), another 39 quakes ranging from magnitude 4.9 to 6.7 have been recorded in the same area. [Source: USGS]

The tsunami: the height of the wave was estimated to have been between 3 and 5m. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) issued a tsunami warning on April 2, 07:55 local time. The initial tsunami wave arrival time for Munda was given as 07:39 and for Honiara as 08:20. A private source reported Marovo saw the wave coming and radioed a warning to Gizo. Meanwhile the PTWC has canceled the warning again. Marovo and Seghe are reported to be mostly unaffected.

Damage and fatalities:

• SIBC reports a confirmed death toll of 24 in Western Province and Choiseul. People were either washed away by the wave or were trapped in collapsing houses. Many more are still missing.
• About 500 homes in and around Gizo are destroyed, resulting in about 2,000 homeless people.
• Nusatupe airstrip (serving Gizo) is not operational, it has to be cleared and repaired first, but other air fields (e.g. Munda) are not affected.
• Many rain water tanks collapsed, impairing the supply of drinking water
• Food gardens were destroyed by the flood.
• The electric power supply in Gizo broke down.
• Radio towers in Gizo got inundated taking the normal telephone communications down.

Various reports:

Western Province:
Gizo 2 deaths, the town is said to be in shambles; Munda no fatalities, not much damage; Simbo Island 12 deaths, several villages partially and one completely washed away; Titiana and New Manda (on Kolombangara) 6 deaths; Ranongga 2 deaths; Shortland Islands, Fauro and Mono possible fatalities, landslides

Choiseul:
Taro was evacuated; Sasamunga inundated, 2 deaths

Papua New Guinea:
5 fatalities in Milne Bay Province

Hospitals and clinics: Gizo Hospital is closed. According to BBC News it is "inundated and damaged beyond use". A temporary hospital has been set up on higher grounds. Helena Goldie Hospital in Munda: patients were evacuated to a nearby Community High School on high grounds. Sasamunga: hospital is said to have been submerged. Shortlands: the Nila Rural Health Center is reported to have been destroyed and washed away.

Assessments are being done now and help from various sources is on the way.

• Another 17 earthquakes with magnitudes from 4.5 to 6.4 were recorded in the western region of Solomon Islands between 00:15 and 18:00 local time today.
• The number of confirmed deaths is now 25.
• The 5 fatalities reported in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, are alive and well. The family of five was out fishing and able to return safely after the tsunami. Nobody is missing or got hurt, but some houses and gardens were washed away.
• Extensive damage is reported from the Shortlands: clinics and houses were damaged or washed away.
• Several countries, among them Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Taiwan, Turkey, the United States of America, as well as the Pacific Islands Forum have promised help. A command post for the relief operation was set up at Munda.
• Patients with cuts and wounds are treated locally at the makeshift hospital in Gizo, but the ones with fractures are sent to the National Referral Hospital in Honiara.
• A medical team comprising 6 doctors and 12 nurses was to leave Honiara for Gizo, Munda and Taro today.
• Fixed line and GSM mobile telephone services in Gizo are operational again. Telecom services are running on emergency power, but there is not enough power for the radio links to Munda, Noro and Ringgi, affecting telephone and Internet access of those locations. Munda has been switched to a satellite telephone link.
• Electricity generators in Gizo are believed to be ok, but the power distribution is severely damaged and power cannot be fully restored for safety reasons.
• Some residents are returning to Gizo and some businesses started to clean up. Banks have opened again.

• Choiseul Province reports two more deaths and three more communities (besides Sasamunga) where all houses were destroyed by the tsunami.
• The total number of homeless people is now estimated to be around 5,000.
• More supplies and financial help from various countries, organizations, businesses and individuals are coming in.
• A United Nation Assessment and Coordination team is expected to arrive this afternoon and will support the work being done by the National Disaster Assessment Office.
• According to Dr Gregory Jilini, Director of Health and Medical Services in Western Province, there is a hight risk of an outbreak of diarrhea in the area due to lack of sanitation facilities.
• More than 30 injured people are treated at the makeshift hospital on a hill in Gizo and two healthy babies were born there already. Three doctors and five nurses from NRH in Honiara support the local staff of Gizo Hospital. Medical supplies were also received. An engineer looking at Gizo Hospital said the buildings were safe to be used again, but cleaning them will take about two weeks and during this time the temporary hospital will have to be used. Nine patients with fractures were sent to NRH in Honiara for treatment.
• Life in Munda is slowly getting back to normal after the water supply system has been repaired.

• The official death toll is now 34.
• Many people are still afraid of another tsunami and do not want to return to their homes on lower grounds, even if they are intact.
• Some shops and the market in Gizo have opened again.
• Nusatupe airstrip near Gizo has been cleared and can be used again.
• The Participating Police Force (PPF) has currently two boats, three helicopters and one fixed wing aircraft available for transport of relief supplies and medical evacuations. So far 22 medical evacuations from Gizo and Sasamunga have been facilitated.
• Some patients are transfered from the Gizo makeshift hospital to Helena Goldie Hospital in Munda.
• 12 patients flown in from Gizo are attended to at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara. There are six patients with fractures and six patient requiring general surgery too big to be done at Gizo. Another seven patients will be brought from Gizo to Honiara as soon as transport is available.

• The number of confirmed deaths is now 41.
• Medical teams from Australia have arrived and will be sent to the areas where they are needed most.
• There are some complaints that supplies are not arriving quickly enough or supplies delivered are not what is wanted and needed most.
• It may take longer than initially thought until the Gizo Hospital can be used again because asbestos has been found in all hospital buildings.
• The sale and consumption of liquor has been banned in Western and Choiseul Provinces until further notice.

• The recent earthquake has lifted Ranongga Island up by about 3m, coral shelves are now above seal level and dying. In some cases the beach has moved out by up to 70m.
• Relief supplies are coming in at Honiara Airport and are being distributed to the disaster areas.

• There are some complaints about unequal distribution of supplies, i.e. people not directly affected receiving more help than others who really need it.
• Relief supplies are arriving at Choiseul villages. Three doctors were flown to Taro, but have not yet been able to travel to the affected areas.

• The number of confirmed deaths is now 43, about 60 people are still missing.
• The damage in Gizo area is estimated to be more than SBD 200 million.
• Medical teams in disaster areas have to deal with diarrhea, malaria and cuts and wounds that heal badly.
• In Gizo area it has been raining all day long, making life for people living in tent camps even more difficult.

• An Australian military medical team has set up a mobile field hospital in Sasamunga.
• A medical team is stuck in Taro due to lack of fuel for the boats to travel to affected villages. So far, they were only able to visit Vosa, one of the most affected villages in Choiseul Province, where they treated 20 patients with body aches, pneumonia and diarrhea.
• A World Bank team will visit Solomon Islands this week to assess the damage done to the infrastructure by the recent earthquakes and tsunami and assist the country's recovery.

• The Prime Minister and a delegation of experts will visit the disaster areas in Western and Choiseul Provinces next week.
• Up to now, 22 patients from the disaster areas have been evacuated and admitted to the National Referral Hospital, most of them with fractured hands and/or legs. Senior surgeon Dr Douglas Pikacha is currently working at Helena Goldie Hospital to handle some operations there. An anesthetist is also sent to Munda, where the Ministry of Health wants to set up an operating theater. Three doctors from NRH are working in Gizo and another three in Choiseul Province. The doctors are supported by some 20 nurses.

• The government has declared Monday, April 23 to be the National Day of Mourning for those who died in the recent tsunami.
• So far, a group of Canadian doctors and medical teams from Australia, New Zealand, France, Taiwan and Papua New Guinea have supported the local doctors in the disaster areas.

• According to American tsunami scientist, Professor Hermann Fritz, another strong earthquake and tsunami in Western and Choiseul Provinces are not likely and the area should be safe enough for people to return to their villages. Professor Fritz also confirmed that Ranongga was lifted about two meters while Simbo went down about one meter.
• The Marovo Lagoon has only experienced minimal tidal waves and Uepi Resort and Wilderness Lodge are operating normally.
• Three airstrips were inspected: Mono (Shortland Islands) is closed for commercial flights, not because of earthquake or tsunami damage, but due to high grass and algae growth on the runway. Balalae airstrip (Shortland Islands) and Taro airstrip (Choiseul) are both ok to use.

• After continuous heavy rain in the region, the makeshift hospital in Gizo has been moved back to one wing of the old hospital.

• The number of confirmed deaths is now 52 (Gizo 33, Simbo 9, Ranongga 2, Vella La Vella 2, Choiseul 6).
• A survey team found that the recent earthquakes triggered many landslides on Ranongga Island, particularly on the eastern side of the island.
• An assessment team sent to the Shortland Islands found most people were not physically injured but psychologically traumatized.

According to today's editorial in Solomon Star, Honiara still suffers from poorly maintained roads, unexpected loss of electric power and unreliable water supplies.

• Five volunteer doctors from Ecuador are expected to come to Solomon Islands to support the local doctors in the disaster areas.
• UNICEF and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services started a supplementary measles vaccination campaign in the disaster areas. 31 nurses from Honiara will immunize children less than five years of age, distribute vitamin A, Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) and multi-vitamins, as well as child health cards to replace those lost and general health promotion material.

Tulagi, the capital of Central Province with a population of about 4,000, was without water from May 15, 4:30pm until this morning. After giving two weeks notice, landowners of water resources had turned off the supply for nonpayment of rental fees by the national government. Meanwhile, they restored the supply and agreed to further talks.

As a result, Tulagi Hospital had to limit its services to emergency cases during this time.

According to the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO), at least 36,588 people and 6298 homes were affected in 304 communities by the April 2 earthquake and tsunami in the Western and Choiseul provinces. 52 people have been confirmed dead, 40 were injured, 3251 houses were destroyed by the tsunami and 3047 damaged by the earthquake.

Health Services

Pediatrician Dr. Henry Daiwo, who left Solomon Islands during the ethnic conflict and spent the last five years in the Cook Islands, is returning to Solomon Islands.

Tawaro Clinic on Small Malaita (South Malaita) serves about 7,000 people with only two registered nurses. Unfortunately, over the year's end, both went on leave at the same time and the clinic had to be closed most of the time. A former Atoifi nursing student who just spent a year at the school is currently the only help available.

A baby is said to have died shortly after birth, because the clinic was closed and the mother had to give birth at home.

Residents of Small Malaita (south Malaita) claim that drugs taken from clinics and hospitals (possibly from Honiara, too) are being illegally sold in the area. Tablets like paracetamol are sold for up to SBD 2 each, which is very expensive for a villager. Of course, nobody can be sure to get the correct medication. Residents ask the authorities to look into this matter and take appropriate action.

The Participating Police Force (PPF) has shipped a water tank truck to Lata to help ease the water supply problem especially for Lata Hospital, which had to close some departments due to the water shortage. The truck is expected to arrive in Lata today.

The old Kmaga and Hoffi clinics (SE of Buala) in Isabel Province, built from bush materials, had been replaced by concrete buildings with iron roofs in the early eighties, but, without much maintenance and improvement, have been deteriorating ever since and are in a very sorry state now. E.g. ceilings are falling down and windows are without louvers. The clinics serve about 400 people.

Dr Silent Tovosia, Medical Superintendent at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara reports a worrying increase in new diabetes cases and diabetic patients seeking medical attention in the hospital in the past four years.

Diabetic cases increased by about 50% between 2002 and 2006. On the average, there were about 150 new cases a year from 1995 to 2006. 60% of the patients admitted at the surgical ward have diabetes, and 90% of those have foot related complications or had their foot or leg amputated.

According to Dr Tovosia, most new diabetes cases are diet related.

In a letter to the editor of Solomon Star, a recent visitor of the National Referral Hospital in Honiara commends the hard working medical staff but highlights several maintenance related deficiencies at the hospital:

• Central air-condition and window units do not look like they are maintained at all
• Fire extinguishers, where still in place, have not been serviced for at least five years
• No water for fire hose reels or hoses are missing
• Lack of adequate water at most places in the hospital
• General lighting does not seem to be maintained
• Many doors have no handles or locks
• Self-closing doors no longer close

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has started a new three year project to help improve public health management and clinical management on malaria control, the effective use of the Solomon Islands Malaria Information System, and the skills of health staff. Three experts from Kobe University have recently arrived in Solomon Islands to carry out the project.

The blood bank of the National Referral Hospital in Honiara currently has just one bag of blood of group 'A' and none of group '0' in stock and urgently calls on members of the public to donated blood.

The Pacific Eye Institute, originally planned to be built on the parking lot of the National Referral Hospital in Honiara, will now be built in Fiji. As a result, three local eye doctors will most likely leave the country to work at the institute's new location. Reasons for the relocation have not been given yet.

15 traffic officers have heard NRH's recent plea and were among the first to line up at the blood bank and donate blood yesterday.

The National Referral Hospital is Honiara finally has three local anesthetists. They are: Dr Mary Tuke and Dr Bataiboni Anigafutu who both graduated from Fiji School of Medicine last year and Dr Kaeni Agiomea who returned from a one year attachment in New Zealand.

The morgue at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara can only accommodate three bodies in freezer units. However, the manager of the morgue, David Maelaua, estimates there are about three deaths at the hospital a day on the average and if the bodies cannot be removed immediately (e.g. if relatives of a deceased from a province have to organize transportation and funds first), some bodies may have to be stored outside the cooling units. Therefore, the morgue should be expanded to keep at least six bodies cooled. Furthermore, the equipment in the morgue is old and below standard and should be upgraded.

Thanks to the distribution and subsequent re-treatment of treated bednets, Western Province has had a significantly reduced number of malaria cases in the past two years.

The National Referral Hospital in Honiara has a new acting medical superintendent, Dr Tenneth Dalipanda. He replaces Dr Silent Tovosia who is now acting CEO of NRH. Dr Dalipanda is a consultant physician and Head of Internal Medicine

According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by the former government and the Fred Hollows Foundation, the Pacific Eye Institute was to be built on the campus of the National Referral Hospital in Honiara. The new government, in power since May 2006, no longer considered the existing MOUs as binding and said the originally assigned site on the campus for the new building could not be used anymore, but an alternative location may be available. However, Fred Hollows Foundation would have had to pay for the demolition of the existing buildings on the new site as well as the relocation and rehousing of the tenants. That is why the foundation decided to relocate the new institute to Suva, Fiji.

When it rains, the septic tank of the National Referral Hospital in Honiara often overflows and waste water flows through the nearby Lord Howe settlement. The problem has been reported several times and it was agreed the tank would have to be moved to another location, but so far, apart from promises, nothing has been done to address the situation.

The United States have donated two ablution blocks, a 10,000 gallon (380,000 liter) water tank and a bore hole altogether worth SBD 1.8 million to Kilu'ufi Hospital in Malaita Province.

Don Bosco International is building a mini hospital at Tetere on the Guadalcanal Plains. The Ministry of Health approved the project in 2006 and the hospital is expected to be completed by mid 2008.

Tetere is about 30km east of Honiara.

Taiwan has donated SBD 65,000 to the Solomon Islands Red Cross to help collect blood donations. The funds will be used to meet the expenses of an officer to help recruit blood donors and stock up the blood supplies at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara.

Supplies at NRH are still low and people have been urged once more to donate blood.

Nine local pharmacists have attended and completed a short first aid training course offered by Aspen Medical officers and the Pharmacy Department at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara. Topics covered were: cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and how to deal with major bleeding and unconscious patients.

The participants came from NRH, Guadalcanal, Malu'u (N-Malaita), Afio (S-Malaita), Taro (Choiseul), and a private pharmacy.

For many years the National Psychiatric Unit at Kilu'ufi Hospital in Malaita has been without a psychiatrist, but now Dr Paul Orotaloa from East Fataleka, Malaita Province, is working there since last month. He completed his Masters in Psychiatry at the University of Papua New Guinea last year.

He hopes more local doctors will eventually join the field of psychiatry and acute psychiatric units will be set up at every provincial hospital in the country.

As part of its community relations activities, Gold Ridge Mining Limited (GRML) has conducted a health awareness program in the Gold Ridge and Turarana areas. The program included talks on personal hygiene and distribution of drugs to cure ringworm (tinea), which was found to be widespread in the area, and hookworm. A total of 351 patients, some of them GRML workers, were treated during the two-week program.

Bilateral agreements of cooperation with Cuba have been approved by the Solomon Islands Cabinet last week and signed by government officials in Cuba this week. Under the agreements, Cuba will provide up to 40 medical specialists to Solomon Islands to help ease the shortage of doctors in the country. Air fares and accommodation for the doctors will have to be paid for by the Solomon Islands Government, while Cuba will cover all other costs. Furthermore, Cuba will offer 50 scholarships to Solomon Islands students to study medicine at Cuban medical schools.

Kwailibesi Health Clinic in northern Malaita has been destroyed by a fire, probably caused by a leaking gas cylinder. The clinic, reported to be one of the best in the region, is operated by the Seventh Day Adventist Church and serves about 10,000 people. A provincial assembly member and a member of parliament are trying to find ways to rebuild the clinic.

Japan's Grassroots and Human Security Project is funding the construction of a nurse aid post at Gwaifa-Fa'arau (on the western coast of Malaita), so locals will no longer have to travel about 5km to either Auki or Talakali Clinic to seek medical attention.

Malu'u Area Health Center in northern Malaita will soon get an infant incubator donated by Medical Aid Abroad New Zealand Inc. The organization was asked for assistance by the To'abaita Authority for Research and Development (TARD), a volunteer group of local students studying in Fiji. The incubator arrived in Honiara late last month and is now awaiting shipment to Malu'u.

Malu'u Area Health Center serves more than 20,000 people.

The administration of the National Referral Hospital in Honiara has asked the Ministry of Health to let them interview the Cuban doctors before they are sent to Solomon Islands. The administration wants to make sure the doctors can cope with the particular medical situations in the country.

Solomon Islands Diabetes Association (SIDA) has formed a new executive and hopes to raise awareness about diabetes and convince more people to get tested at the Diabetes Center on the campus of the National Referral Hospital in Honiara. The association was established in 2000, but has not been active due to the ethnic tension. Last year, 1589 persons were tested at the Diabetes Center, 65 of them turned out to be affected by the disease.

Officials from the Solomon Islands Ministry of Health will travel to Cuba to interview and select the doctors to work in Solomon Islands. At this time, Cuba can only provide 10 specialist doctors; they are expected to arrive in May this year. More doctors will arrive later as they become available. According to the agreement, the total number will be 40. Solomon Islands currently has 11 vacant positions for specialist doctors at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara and 23 vacant positions in the provinces.

An annual package for a local doctor is SBD 170,000 a year, for a Cuban doctor it will be SBD 180,000 in the first year, which includes airfares (to be paid for by Solomon Islands), but will be less in the second and third year. Solomon Islands will provide accommodation and pay them an allowance of USD 300 per month, while Cuba meets the rest. In contrast, an annual package for a doctor on the open market would be about SBD 400,000.

The first medical students are expected to be sent to Cuba by September this year. Their airfares will have to be paid for by the Solomon Islands Government, while Cuba's scholarships will cover all other costs.

Japan's Grassroots and Human Security Project will provide about SBD 500,000 for the construction of five staff houses in selected health centers of the province.

Three Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church doctors (two of them Solomon Islanders) are currently visiting all SDA health facilities in Solomon Islands to assess their current state and future needs for the next five years. Later, a health commission will outline the future directions, goals and strategies of SDA's health work in the country.

The two Solomon Islands doctors are Dr Chester Kuma, former head of surgery at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara, now Health Department representative of SDA's South Pacific Division in Sydney, Australia, and Dr Silent Tovosia, former head of orthopedics and Medical Superintendent at NRH, now Health Director of the Solomon Islands Mission of the SDA Church in Honiara.

17 nurses were declared registered nurses during a graduation ceremony in Honiara yesterday. They completed their training after two years practical service in hospitals and clinics throughout the country.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services is currently training counselors (most of them nurses) to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country. The counselors will be deployed at rural health centers after having completed a 3-week intensive course.

Most of the old hospital buildings were built using fibro (fiber cement) sheets containing asbestos and after the tsunami damaged the buildings many of those sheets were broken and pieces of them scattered all over the compound. To prevent the reuse of the dangerous material it has now been collected and removed.

Gizo Hospital has reopened one ward to take care of minor cases and for patients who need overnight observation. More serious cases are sent to Munda or Honiara.

The water supply and sewerage systems have been repaired.

The Australian High Commission in Honiara has approved funding of two solar electric power units worth about SBD 26,000 for the Bita'ama and Sulagwalu rural health clinics in northern Malaita.

The High Commission was asked for support by the To'abaita Authority for Research and Development (TARD), a volunteer group of local students studying in Fiji.

The power units will be used for lighting, refrigeration of medicines and possibly laboratory instrumentation.

The PFnet station on Simbo Island reports a malaria outbreak, but spraying teams and malaria technicians have already arrived to take care of the situation and support local clinic staff.

Most families who had moved to higher grounds after the tsunami have returned to their villages, some were forced to do so because they became sick or due to water and sanitation problems. However, some families have to remain in the camps because their houses were destroyed by the tsunami.

A medical team from the Association for Medical Doctors of Asia, AMDA, working at Sasamunga, Choiseul, reports having found signs of asbestos containing material on the hospital compound (most likely the same broken fibro sheets that have been found at Gizo Hospital). This material and other debris (including syringes and needles) scattered all over the compound should be cleaned up immediately.

The main building of the hospital is considered to be structurally intact and is in use again after having been cleaned by local staff. However, the other buildings containing the primary health center, outpatient department, pharmacy, x-ray room, dental section, reception and administration, the malaria testing room and laboratories are all said to be damaged beyond repair.

According to AMDA's blog, the team, consisting of two doctors supported by six local nurses, so far spent two weeks in Choiseul and treated 285 patients during the first 10 days of their stay.

Problems with the sewage system of the Diabetic Center at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara had caused a foul smell and the center had to be closed last Tuesday to perform the necessary maintenance work. Until the center was reopened yesterday, patients needing attention were referred to doctors.

The sewage problem at the TB Center, where waste water is leaking out from pipes into the lawn and onto the pavement, has not been fixed yet.

Staff of the National Psychiatric Unit at Kilu'ufi Hospital (Malaita Province) are visiting secondary schools around Auki town to talk about the effects of smoking marijuana.

According to Dr Paul Orotaloa, director of the unit and leader of the awareness program, 10 new patients were admitted in 2006 because of marijuana abuse.

Kilu'ufi Hospital (Malaita Province) reports 20 new cases of diabetes in the central region of Malaita in the first four months of this year. A total of 45 cases were recorded in the whole province in 2006.

Dr Silent Tovosia, Health Director of the Solomon Islands Mission (SIM, Seventh-day Adventist Church) and former Medical Superintendent at NRH together with four nurses who recently graduated at Atoifi Nursing School conducted a health awareness week in Kuma on the Weathercoast of Guadalcanal.

During the day, medical visits and checkups were done, while health talks were conducted in the evenings. Topics were: HIV/AIDS, STI, drugs, communicable and non-communicable diseases, and hygiene. More than 500 people attended the talks.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) reports Solomon Islands to have the highest condom consumption in the Pacific, but whether condoms are actually used for the intended purpose is not known.

Condoms are distributed free of charge in many Pacific Island countries by the United Nations Fund for Population Advocacy (UNFPA). Six-month supplies are allotted, but Solomon Islands has used it up in less time more than once.

Health Director of Isabel Province, Dr Donald Kafa has asked the provincial politicians and communities to help improve Buala Hospital, but so far, only the single female Member of Parliament, Mrs Beverly Dick has donated paint, which will be used to paint the corrugated roof of the hospital.

However, the hospital is very old and needs more maintenance and support and a Provincial Health Infrastructure and Maintenance Committee has been set up to take care of these matters.

In about two weeks time the new library and conference room at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara will be completed and officially handed over. It will have computers, a big screen and other equipment worth about US$ 280,000 and is said to be one of the best facilities in the Pacific. It was funded by Taiwan as part of its continuing support of NRH.

Sarawasi and its surrounding communities in South Malaita have their own health clinic since April this year. Earlier, it took about a day to go the Afio (also written as Apio) health center and come home again just to get a headache treated or a wound dressed.

The To'abaita Authority for Research and Development (TARD), has successfully asked several overseas organizations for support of clinics in North Malaita:

• Medical Aid Abroad New Zealand Inc. donated an infant incubator for the Malu'u Health Center.
• The Australian High Commission in Honiara donated solar power systems worth almost SBD 26,000 for the Bita'ama and Sulagwalu clinics in North Malaita.
• The Australian Foundation for the Peoples of Asia and the Pacific Ltd., AFAP donated medical supplies and equipment worth more than SBD 300,000 The items were distributed to the Arao, Fo'ondo, Gwaiau, Bita'ama, Orukalia, Malu'u and Sulagwalu clinics.

Gizo Hospital, which is currently operating as a mini-hospital for outpatients only, is providing accommodation for some of its homeless staff in resthouses. Many staff who lost their homes during the tsunami in April are still living in tents on the hills and are not able to work full time.

AusAID funds a Pacific Malaria Initiative with AUD 25 million during the next four years to help combat malaria in countries most affected. Up to AUD 14 million will be used to train medical staff, provide diagnostic equipment, improve statistical recording, and support awareness programs in schools in Solomon Islands, up to AUD 6 million for the same purpose in Vanuatu, and up to AUD 5 million will be used for research into prevention and control. Later, the initiative will be expanded to include Papua New Guinea.

Solomon Islands has the highest malaria incidence in the Pacific.

Ms Harumi Matsuura, a Japanese speech therapist and JICA volunteer has arrived in Solomon Islands and will be working at the National Referral Hospital under a two year contract.

Australia provides an additional SBD 16.6 million to assist the rehabilitation of the earthquake and tsunami stricken health infrastructure in Western and Choiseul provinces.

There are 52 clinics in the affected area, 15 of them have to be rebuilt completely and 19 need repairs. Sasamunga Hospital has to be replaced with a new facility and Helena Goldie Hospital in Munda needs urgent repairs. Furthermore, a total of more than 300 health employees have been displaced from home, 70 are still living in makeshift camps in Gizo.

Last Sunday night (see note below), a pipe in the ceiling of the main operating theater's tearoom at the National Referral Hospital in Honaira burst during heavy rain, thereby flooding the tearoom, a storage room and three operating rooms. Some equipment and medications were damaged.

The ceiling and what came down
The flood...
Photos P. Houasia, 2007

According to Medical Superintendent Dr Tenneth Dalipanda, the pipe has been leaking for about two years. (While he was working there, Dr Oberli had repeatedly criticized the operating theater's deficient ceiling setup.)

The main theater is closed indefinitely. Two temporary operating theaters were set up, one at the Labor ward and the other at the Accident and Emergency ward.

Webmaster's note: the way I read the information on Solomon Star's web site, the above happened on June 24, however, if the camera's date stamp is correct, it must have happened a week earlier.

Japan will fund the building of a new clinic and a staff house at Sinaragu village, East Kwaio, Malaita Province.

The importance of blood donations was emphasized on yesterday's World Blood Donor Day.

According to WHO, about 2% of a population are expected to need a transfusion every year, which, for Solomon Islands, would amount to more than 8,000 transfusions, but less than 3,000 were actually done last year (about 2,000 at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara and about 800 in the provinces).

Solomon Islands has a high maternal death rate, and most of the deaths are due to blood loss. From January to April, almost half of all transfusion requests at NRH came from gynecology and labor wards and many of them could not be met due to lack of supplies.

Coartem (artemether-lumefantrine), a drug against malaria will soon be introduced in Solomon Islands. Its purchase is funded by WHO's Global Fund.

Japan has provided SBD 61,000 for a high frequency two-way radio at the National Referral Hospital's pharmacy department, which makes direct communication between the pharmacy and rural hospitals and clinics possible.

Media and Reports

Another filled in questionnaire: MS0604.

Another filled in questionnaire: FS0604.

Another filled in questionnaire: FS0605.

Another filled in questionnaire: MR0602.

Another filled in questionnaire: FN0601.

Tsunami relief - a view from a team on the ground written by a group of local doctors and published in Solomon Star

A bit of information about Buala Hospital.

Another filled in questionnaire: FS0701.

Another filled in questionnaire: MR0603.

A new book on our books page: Pijin: A trilingual cultural dictionary by Christine Jourdan in collaboration with Ellen Maebiru

A bit of information about Kilu'ufi Hospital.

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