1 September 2022
The Solomon Islands Government says it is still to secure a master plan for the proposed National Referral Hospital earmarked to be built at Gilbert camp, east of Honiara.
Health minister Dr Culwick Togamana says the ministry is yet to engage a consultant to design the master plan.
The project has been in the pipeline for almost 10 years now due to the design issue and associated land dispute.
Dr.Togamana told parliament yesterday the process for this planning was further stalled by the pandemic as state resources were put in preparedness and response to COVID.
“Likewise, our preparation to host Pacific Games 2023 has played a vital role in slowing us down.
“We need consultation on the size of hospital we are going to build,” he said.
“Hopefully this consultancy group we are going to engage will come up with a Master Plan,” he added.
Dr.Togamana said this is important because the existing National Referral Hospital was built to cater for a population of only 300,000, but now our population exceeds 600,000.
“Therefore, we need to properly plan so that our new NRH caters for our growing population,” he added.
On site preparation, Dr.Togamana said this is an ongoing activity to date where 2,500 square meter perimeter fencing has been constructed.
“This is because squatters are there already.
We need to secure the site and when you fence the site, you need to deal with those in the perimeter,” he said.
Furthermore, Dr.Togamana said a ground survey for UXO needs to be carried out prior to construction.
This is because the area was subjected to heavy engagement during the second World War.
Further to that, he said construction of security houses is being done, being tendered and awarded so that they will be officers that will man the site and prevent further interference from illegal settlers.
Attorney General, John Muria Junior clarified that in terms of legal proceedings, two disputes over the same land have been consolidated into one proceeding.
He said in 2016 when the government paid out the land from a landowner, that person transferred the land to the Commissioner of Land.
But he said when the land was transferred, other landowners challenged the transaction.
Mr.Muria said the matter is heading for trial so that a settlement could be reached soon.
Source – Island Sun newspaper
Comment
Today’s news about further delay in getting a new NRH comes as a disappointment to me, and many in the Solomon Islands, I feel sure, not least to the doctors, nurses and support staff of the NRH who work under extreme conditions in inadequate hospital facilities to cope with the ever increasing numbers of patients needing medical treatment and admission.
I believe the delay in seeing a replacement NRH calls for increased preventative medicine practices to try and combat NCD related diseases, plus a separate functioning arm of the NRH to introduce screening procedures for men and women in order to check and possible find evidence of diseases like cancer, heart disease, liver and lung disease and diabetes.
I also believe it is timely for the SI’s existing diplomatic partners to step in to ensure preventative medicine practices and screening programmes are funded, equipped and brought into operation as soon as possible.
Public health is a fundamental human right.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
