Honiara : 28 March 2017
Letter to the Editors, Solomon Star and Island Sun Newspapers.
Tonight’s SIBC news reported the shocking state of the Panueli Health Clinic on Savo Island.
The clinic is needed to support a local population of 4000 but it is said to be ravaged by white ants, at the point of collapse, has no electricity, no toilets, unreliable water supplies and only one full-time nurse.
To add to the woes of the clinic, it has only two beds, no bedding, no chairs or even a table.
Who will help this vitally important clinic, only a boat ride from Honiara?
Honourable Member for Savo and Russell Islands will you, Sir?
I am prepared to ask the New Zealand Charitable Trust, ‘Take My Hands’ to see what can be done in respect of bedding and possibly more beds and hopefully such things could be added to the containers almost ready to be shipped to the NRH.
I would earnestly request all charitable persons, organizations, companies and SI’s donor partners, especially the Governments of Japan and the Republic of China (ROC) to give a helping hand to such a worthy cause, please.
As a former member of Rotary International I would also call on Rotary to aid the reconstruction of the almost derelict clinic.
I feel confident that the local community will be more than willing to help in kind with labour and perhaps some basic construction materials if help was forthcoming.
In 1998 the maintenance personnel of the RSIPF, under the supervision of Inspector Matoko, BEM, with financial support from the British High Commission and the New Zealand High Commission, at my request, provided the incentive needed to re-build the then derelict White River Police Post and if the same maintenance personnel are still in the employ of the Force, I would please request the new Commissioner of Police to allow them to assist in the design and reconstruction of the Savo clinic.
