General News from Solomon Islands

Police reports an increase in burglaries in Honiara. This is attributed to an increasing number of people moving to Honiara and a high unemployment rate.

Pickpocketing, especially at the Central Market, has also been reported to be on the rise.

SkyAirWorld is now selling tickets and will offer 5 flights per week between Brisbane and Honiara starting March 3, 2008.

2008 Population and growth estimates by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC):

The indigenous workers of Solomon Telekom went on strike at 4.30pm this afternoon for an indefinite period. One of their main demands is the removal of the current CEO.

Buala (capital of Isabel Province) suffers from power shortage for a week now. Currently, electricity is available from 6pm to midnight only. Naturally, Buala Hospital is also affected by this shortage.

Solomon Telekom's CEO has resigned and the expatriate's local deputy has been appointed as his successor. As the replacement of the CEO was the main demand of the striking Telekom employees, they are expected to start working again.

Health Services

Patients at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara did not get any breakfast today due to a shortage of baked bread in Honiara. Lunch was served as usual.

Dr Douglas Pikacha has become a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his long and distinguished service in the fields of public administration and medical and health services.

Makira Ulawa Province is currently without a doctor. The only doctor in the province, Dr Patrick Paia left for holidays in the Western Province before Christmas and has not returned yet. Therefore, serious cases cannot be treated at Kirakira Hospital but have to be transferred to the National Referral Hospital in Honiara.

Pap smear tests will be available in a new clinic at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara around the end of this month. So far, test samples had to be sent overseas and by the time the results came back it was often too late. When the new clinic is operational, results will be available after one or two days.

The clinic was initiated by members of Soroptimist International of Solomon Islands who brought the need to the attention of Dr. Piera Pelizzatti, a retired Italian doctor who is doing voluntary work through Don Bosco in Solomon Islands. Dr Pelizzatti helped set up the new clinic with financial support provided by Soroptimist International clubs in Italy.

03.02.08 Update: The clinic is now open to the public.

The National Referral Hospital in Honiara reports an increasing number of cases of nausea related diarrhea especially among children. This is attributed to drinking water contaminated by flooding caused by heavy rainfall. People are urged to boil water before drinking it.

Unfortunately, NRH and the Medical Store seem to have run out of oral rehydration salts (ORS).

Thieves broke into the accounts office at the National Referral Hospital on Saturday night. They did not find the hospital's cashbox but took money belonging to one of the accountants. It is said to be the first break-in into any of the hospital's offices.

Police are investigating the incident.

On the average, malaria incidence in 2007 was about 17% less than in 2006 in most provinces. Only the Western and Central provinces had more cases in 2007 than in 2006.

The "Good Samaritan" mini hospital at Tetere on the Guadalcanal Plains was officially opened today. The hospital was funded by the Amici Missione Isole Solomons and built with the assistance of Italian volunteers. The well equipped hospital is estimated to serve more than 20,000 people.

Warren Humphries sent us additional information about the recent improvement of the water supply for Lata Hospital.

Dr Günter Kittel, Director of Temotu Provincial Health Services, Director of Lata Hospital and most of the time the only doctor in the Temotu Province, will leave Lata, Solomon Islands and the South Pacific at the end of this month and take up a similar position at a hospital in Nepal. Dr Kittel spent almost eight years in Solomon Islands.

13.02.08 Addendum: Dr Jackson Rakei arrived today. He will replace outgoing Dr Günter Kittel.

Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua is encouraging government workers to voluntarily donate blood to help replenish the almost always low blood supplies at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara.

Australia funds the construction of new staff houses for Gizo Hospital (Western Province). The old houses were destroyed by the tsunami in April 2007 and many health workers are still living in tents. Six buildings are expected to be completed within five months, another six should be ready by December 2008.

25 students left Solomon Islands to get their medical training in Cuba as part of an earlier agreement. The next 25 students may follow in July this year. Cuba pays for the cost of the six-year training.

Furthermore, provided arrangements are successfully finalized, 10 Cuban medical doctors are expected to arrive at the end of March 2008 while their team leader should arrive earlier.

A six-member Taiwan International Health Action (TaiwanIHA) medical team arrived last Saturday to discuss problems and needed assistance regarding malaria and diabetes control in Solomon Islands. The delegation will return home on Saturday.

Dr Oberli writes (translation by webmaster):

Dr Patrick Houasia had successfully completed his training as an orthopedist in October 2006, however, Orthopaedic Outreach denied him the well earned diploma, because a Fijian had abused such a diploma to wangle a job in Australia. Patrick had to pay for it and the Ministry did not accept him as Head of Orthopedics, although no one else could do the job. Patrick and myself were quite desperate (and depressed!). The Swiss section of the International College of Surgeons kindly consented to accept Patrick as Fellow. It looks like this got things moving in Australia. A few days ago, Patrick has received the certificate as a Fellow of the International College of Surgeons. He and the Ministry - and myself included - are delighted and glad the drama came to a good end.

The proud owner of...	the certificate
Photos: P. Houasia, 2008

Solomon Islands now has a National Public Health Laboratory. The laboratory can carry out chemical, biological and medical tests of samples. It can check for contamination of food, water and environment, handle quality checks according to international standards for exported goods and analyze clinical specimens. Once the necessary equipment is installed, HIV/AIDS tests can also be made locally and samples will no longer have to be sent overseas.

AusAID provided more than SBD 13 million for the construction of the building in Honiara and the European Union provided about SBD 11 million for some equipment. The laboratory was officially opened today.

The National TB Control Unit reported 397 new cases in 2007 (+7% compared to 2006), 151 of them were sputum smear positive cases.

Solomon Islands' TB treatment success rate was reported to be 73% (WHO's target rate is 85%).

The project to upgrade the 50-year-old Vonunu Clinic on SE Vella Lavella (Western Province) started last year and was completed with the official opening of the new Vonunu Area Health Center last Thursday. Funding (about SBD 6.8 million) was provided by Australia.

The Rove and Kukum clinics now offer STI (sexually transmitted infections) and HIV counseling for young people in Honiara. Both clinics have private rooms and qualified Voluntary Confidential Counseling and Testing (VCCT) staff.

Over the past six months, 18 registered nurses and nurse aids attended the training program run by Save the Children. Two nurses from Save the Children will continue to support the clinics. Funding was provided by AusAID.

World Vision has set up dispensers for free condoms in Honiara and parts of the provinces as part of its three-year HIV/AIDS project to promote the use of condoms. World Vision's representative says the demand is very high and calls to refill the dispensers are frequent.

The condoms are currently supplied by the Ministry of Health.

An Australian Interplast team consisting of two surgeons, an anesthetist and two nurses have examined about 90 patients at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara last week and performed some minor facial reconstruction operations. The team spent the weekend in Gizo where they examined about 27 patients with facial deformities (most of them children) and again performed some operations.

The team will return to Australia tomorrow.

A five-member delegation, led by Taiwan's Health Minister Sheng-Mou Hou has visited Solomon Islands during the past few days.

A Memorandum of Understanding regarding the Taiwan Health Center at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara was formally signed by the two countries on Monday and the center was officially opened. The center will provide various services for the NRH and other hospitals and clinics throughout the country. Staff and equipment of the center are fully funded by Taiwan.

Medical equipment and supplies donated by Taiwan worth more than SBD 500,000 were officially handed over to the NRH.

Health Minister Sheng-Mou Hou said he was impressed by the Good Samaritan Hospital in the Guadalcanal plains and hopes to get some of Taiwan's assistance going to that hospital.

A Medical Mobile team of 12 doctors will visit Solomon Islands later this year.

The delegation left Solomon Islands yesterday.

A memorandum of understanding regarding health sector improvement was signed by the Government of Solomon Islands, the Australian Government, WHO and UNICEF yesterday. The objectives of the new project, the National Health Strategic Plan are to raise service performance, to improve the long term financial sustainability and management of the health system, and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals for health. Australia will provide SBD 400 million over the next five years. The funds will be used to support improved health service delivery and a long-term institutional reform in the Solomon Islands health sector. Other partners of the project are the World Bank and the UNFPA.

Coartem tablets against malaria will be introduced in Solomon Islands this year. Coartem will eventually replace the currently used Fansidar and chloroquinine, which are often no longer effective. The tablets will be introduced in Honiara City and Guadalcanal Province clinics and hospitals, as soon as nurses are trained in the use of the new drug. Once enough supplies are available, Coartem will be available throughout the country.

15,000 live births and 25 maternal deaths at the birth of a child were recorded in Solomon Islands in 2006. Main causes for the mothers' deaths are severe blood loss and other complications, but other contributing factors are:

• delay in seeking medical attention in the first place
• distance from the village to the nearest health facility
• transport difficulties
• delay in referral to the next level health facility
• delay in receiving quality care and appropriate treatment

Deaths resulting from late referrals are often found in remote areas of Guadalcanal and Malaita provinces. Therefore, there is an urgent need that pregnant mothers are closer to health facilities to prevent unnecessary delays.

Dr Mary Tuke is currently the only anesthetist at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara. She is working 15 to 16 hours a day and is on call for 24 hours. She is working like this since early this month, when her local colleague left NRH for further training. The NRH needs three or four anesthetists, but so far, the Ministry of Health has not been able to find specialists willing to fill those positions.

A 10-member health team of doctors and nurses visited Wagina Island (SE end of Choiseul Province) last week and provided free medical services and advice to more than 400 people. They also donated facilities to Wagina Clinic.

The SIBC news item gave no indication of the origin of the team.

A 21-member US health team of the Loloma Foundation, consisting of doctors, nurses and helpers, is visiting Solomon Islands for two weeks. They will conduct daily clinics and offer free health services in Honiara, Visale, Kohimarama (Guadalcanal Province), Yandina, Tulagi, Taroaniara, Savo (Central Province), and Seghe (Western Province). They will also distribute medical equipment and supplies worth USD 2 million to local health facilities.

This is the foundation's first mission in Solomon Islands, but it has carried out such missions in Fiji for several years. Another mission in Solomon Islands is planned for 2009.

The Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA) has donated eight vaccine cold boxes and solar refrigerators (which will arrive later) to tsunami affected clinics in Western Province.

A Taiwan Root Medical Peace Corps (TRMPC) team will arrive in Solomon Islands on Sunday. The team of volunteers comprises eight experienced doctors in the fields of anesthesiology, surgery, dentistry, family medicine, and pediatrics, four pharmacists, two laboratory technicians, nine nurses, and four assistants. They will bring along drugs and medical supplies and intend to offer free medical services at the following locations: the National Referral Hospital, King George Sixth School, Betikama Adventist College, the College of Higher Education, and Burns Creek Community in Honiara and the Good Samaritan Hospital in Tetere.

The first two doctors from Cuba, an internist (who is also the team leader) and an anesthetist will arrive this Thursday. They will work at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara. Another eight Cuban doctors are expected to follow later this year.

Buala Hospital's only doctor is still on leave and all cases which cannot be handled by the nurses must be referred to the National Referral Hospital in Honiara.

Buala is the capital of Isabel Province.

The blood bank at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara is short of blood again. So far, 781 people have donated blood and, hopefully, this number will increase.

The majority of blood donors in 2007 was between 17 and 30 years old.

The National Referral Hospital and some clinics in Honiara have recorded a number of chickenpox cases last week.

A new Nurse Aid Post was officially opened in Supato on the southwest coast of Vella Lavella (Western Province) last week. It replaces the previous health post. The local community provided land, labor and materials and various organizations and individuals provided funds for this SBD 30,000 self initiative project.

Tawian has donated SBD 122,650 to the Solomon Islands Red Cross Society to help increase the number of blood donors and establish a group of regular donors. Taiwan has made a similar donation last year.

The emergency phone line of the National Referral Hospital in Honiara was disconnected over the last weekend due to a fault in a distribution line cabinet. It has been fixed early this week. Striking Telekom workers have dismissed claims that the fault was the result of sabotage.

The strike is affecting phone services and Internet access in Solomon Islands. Staff at NRH have problems contacting provincial and Australian hospitals and accessing information on the Internet.

Media and Reports

SAD - the Solair departure debacle published in Solomon Star.

Another filled in questionnaire: FS0704.

Another filled in questionnaire: FS0705.

Another filled in questionnaire: FN0701.

Another filled in questionnaire: MS0801.

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