28 July 2022
Around ten schools in Guadalcanal have received health training over the past two weeks, the Health Ministry says.
The trainings covered healthy setting guidelines, including the healthy school guideline. The guideline is to enable schools to map out areas that require attention and actions to ensure a healthy, safe and supportive learning environment for school children.
This initiative is part of a larger effort by the Health Ministry to promote healthy living and lifestyle, placing focus and attention on the prevention front.
Chief Health Promotion Officer and the National Healthy Settings Coordinator, Mr. Ben Rickie Kiokimo, explained that this approach is being implemented by the Ministry of Health through its National Health Promotion Department and provincial health services and its partners and stakeholders.
Guadalcanal's Health Promotion Officer, Mr. Kelton Sikala, who is currently supporting the Healthy Settings program as lead facilitator, said participants were expected to conduct a basic assessment of gaps within their settings, and to develop action plans to address the issues identified.
“For instance in Betivatu school, participants identified issues related to health and safety which includes the need for strengthening behavior change communication to make personal hygiene activities such as hand washing after using the toilet and before eating a norm. They have also identified the need to replace one of its buildings that have deteriorated and pose safety risks to students and staff”, explained Mr. Sikala.
He added many other health and safety issues are being identified with the schools having to make commitments to address them, some will require support from education authorities while most falls within the jurisdiction of the schools themselves.
“This is the purpose of the training to enable the teachers and school administrators to see for themselves issues impacting students' health and learning within the school premises”, said Mr. Sikala.
He also highlighted that the importance of the training is to improve health and wellbeing in the country.
“Therefore we must invest in the holistic health settings at the school level, where children spend more time of the day and a captive learning environment.
“Health education must be captured in the school education curriculum, and also reflected in school administration and ethos, with strong community partnership and health services to the school settings”, highlighted Mr. Sikala.
This initiative is part of a larger effort by the Health Ministry to promote healthy living and lifestyle, placing focus and attention on the prevention front.
Source: MHMS Media
Comment
I much welcome the MHMS’s initiative to promote healthy living and very much hope it will become a necessary part of a national progamme across all schools and colleges.
Prevention is better than a cure, as the saying goes and one that is true.
My focus in much writing has generally been about health care and what individuals and communities can do to prevent the life changing illnesses caused by NCD’s that pose so much of a risk to lives of Solomon Islanders and strain the health services, the doctors and nurses and how the economy suffers when health safety prevention should be a primary focus of MHMS attention, more than in previous decades.
Dr. Togamana, the Health Minister has recently exposed the truth about vaccinations for Covid and said no deaths had occurred in the Solomon Islands from taking one of the WHO approved Covid vaccinations and few people had any real reaction to vaccinations, but yet some individuals and media reports had given out false and misinformation about getting a vaccination for Covid.
When it comes to health considerations the truth must be reported accurately about the importance of exercise, diet, sleep and a reduction in stress levels that all play in overall health. Also, accurate information should be available on how high blood pressure can be caused by too much salt excessive use of alcohol and smoking, often all used in excess in the Solomon Islands.
Health screening for heart disease, breast cancer and prostate cancer, as well as blood screening for other preventable diseases, including diabetes and liver conditions must became essential requirements for the general population if the overall health of Solomon Islands citizens is to improve. Such screening measures are not being conducted at home as they should, and it is said the NRH’s Cancer Unit, despite my many appeals to some international agencies, diplomatic partners of the SI, and to individuals, there is no functioning mammogram in use at the Cancer Unit.
I am still very much mindful of the need to help those suffering from rheumatic heart diseases and repeat my appeal for sufferers of RHD at the NRH to be seen and assessed for possible surgery by cardiac specialist and cardiac surgeons from Australia who, now the SI borders have re-opened, should be invited and encouraged to once again undertake, what was once a regular routine to visit, assess patients, and conduct operations.
Likewise, it would be good for us to know about any re-commencement of the 10 bed hospitalization arrangement for SI patients to be seen and treated at the St Vincent’s hospital in Sydney, or any arrangements that exist with the Solomon Islands Charity Foundation, also in Sydney, for similar help for SI sick patients as previously existed under the 10 bed hospital arrangements in past years.
My written requests for any updated information on the 10 bed hospital scheme and help from possibly the Solomon Islands charity Foundation has been met with no responses from those responsible for advice on such matters at the NRH
I do not forget, also, now 3 years ago come September this year, the NRH was gifted a 20 ft prefabricated modular building complete with an air conditioner and was assured that pre-fab structure would be fitted out to become a replacement rehabilitation workshop and used by the NRH to custom fit artificial, or prosthetic limbs, to the hundreds of NRH patients still waiting for prosthetics after surgery following succumbing to diabetes.
There is no news I can give to how that gifted building has been fitted out to suit the purpose for which, at great trouble and expense, it was given to the NRH. The delay in getting a new rehabilitation workshop has meant many, many, former patients are still handicapped without an artificial leg and their mobility restricted to using crutches – 300 of which were also gifted to the NRH to help out as temporary walking aids.
To make matters worse, it is understood that amputations following diabetes are carried out every week at the NRH and at least six patients undergo this life changing experience, only adding to the growing numbers of amputees needing rehabilitation assistance.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
