11 February 2019
Scoping exercise planned by TMH to further support the Solomon Islands MOHMS
As I promised in an earlier piece published in Solomons newspapers, Ms Janette Searle, the Managing Trustee of Take My Hands Charity Trust (TMH) based in Auckland, New Zealand (and my partner charity) will be travelling to Honiara later this month to further the support the Solomon Islands Ministry of Health and Medical Services with what Janette has described to me as a scoping exercise.
Accompanying Janette will be a representative from Fisher and Paykel and the head of the bio-med engineering Masters Programme at the University of Canterbury.
The Fisher and Paykel team member will assess how best the company can support the Solomon Island and the Pacific generally with their knowledge, resources and equipment.
The representative of Canterbury University will be scoping the possibility of having master’s student’s work with the bio-med engineering teams over a 10 week summer break. If such a scheme eventuates the masters students may then be tasked with a specific design challenge where they would need to use their design skills to resolve a ‘challenge’ that hospitals in the Pacific experience. If feasible the design may then reach the next stage of production.
While the trip is just to scope potential at this stage, it is encouraging to see interest and innovative approaches being taken to develop relationships and work that has the potential to create some long lasting change.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
