A news article in today’s Island Sun newspaper reports that the SI Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) says it remains grateful towards the continuous support of the Solomon Forest Association (SFA) to both operational and development aspirations of the Ministry
Quoting the newspaper story, it read.
This is not the first, SFA has in the past-donated medical consumables including for COVID-19 operations and many more.
Yesterday, health welcomes yet again another significant donation of a cheque payment worth $152,059 made by SFA to Island Enterprise to complete remaining outstanding payment for a two-container size medical laboratory for Good Samaritan Hospital, Guadalcanal Province.
In handing over the cheque, President of SFA, Johnny Sy said that the association has been informed of the work that is currently underway at Good Samaritan and thus decided to help.
“We understand that the Ministry is working hard in terms of the current COVID-19 response and roll out of COVID-19 vaccines, thus there is no doubt that resources let alone financial resources will also be stretched.
“With this, SFA has decided to support the work with the Laboratory at the Good Samaritan Hospital,” Sy said.
The MHMS Deputy Secretary for Health Services Dr Gregory Jilini who witnessed the handing over, explained that medical laboratories perform a very crucial function to assist in the diagnosis and appropriate treatment of diseases
“So basically for the 39,000 people within the catchment area of the Good Samaritan Hospital, the new medical laboratory would essentially mean no more waiting for their blood samples to be transported to the National Referral Hospital for analysis along-side many other blood analysis of in and out patients at the referral hospital,” Jilini said.
“Once the lab becomes functional, all blood tests will be conducted at Good Samaritan Hospital and results swiftly communicated to the doctor who can then advise on treatment,” he added.
“A significant development that is in progress and will now be made possible sooner than expected with the donation received today.”
Dr Jilini added the contribution will also gear towards overall goal of the ministry in its Role Delineation Plan to upgrade its facilities across the country to meet the required quality and standards to achieve Universal Health Coverage whereby Solomon Islanders can have access to health services they need, when and where they need them without any financial hardship”.
End of quote.
Source MHMS press statement.
Comment
The Board of the SFA last year responded to two public appeals I made through the local media for 300 crutches for the NRH and for a 20 ft container size modular building to replace the former Rehabilitation Workshop at the NRH to allow for the making and custom fitting of prosthetic limbs to the hundreds of former NRH patients that had limbs removed following their surgery after succumbing to diabetes.
That modular building, although delivered to the NRH last September, has not yet been put to use following a statement from a spokesperson at the NRH saying money for the concrete footings had been diverted to the ongoing COVID contingency needs.
In the past few years the SFA was also involved on several occasions in paying for the shipment of hospital beds, mattresses, wheel chairs, medical equipment and medical consumables from my partner charity in New Zealand, ‘Take My Hands.’
In addition, the SFA paid for help I requested for the Hearts of Hope (HOH) charity and for the SIDT.
The financial aid and donations from the SFA considerable assisted my charity assistance to the Solomon Islands and I once more express my appreciation to the Association and its Board members.
In June 2019, I wrote about the possibility of converting old shipping containers into rural health clinics and I will reproduce my letter below.
I just wish other organizations in the Solomon Islands would help as the SFA has done for years to see the return of functioning rural health facilities by making use of converted shipping containers, at least until the SIG acquires the major funding needed to bring about the health facility developments long discussed but never introduced.
Quote
CONVERTING OLD SHIPPING CONTAINERS INTO RURAL HEALTH CLINICS
5 June 2019
Solomon Islands: Providing health care clinics in rural locations by possibly adapting old shipping containers
The new DCGA recently released its 100 day policy plans and I noted with much appreciation the immediate needs of the National Referral Hospital (NRH) are to be given priority attention.
Dealing with the run-down and in many cased the dilapidated condition of the country’s colonial era health clinics will take time but could old shipping containers be acquired, converted and put to use as clinics in the more accessible areas of the country?
The Solomon Islands is known to have at least 12 species of termites and white ants are common. Both these pests cause much damage to buildings and contributed over the years to the collapse of the rural health clinics in the Western Province and in Isabel Province in particular.
When I looked today at the new mini-clinic built in the Malango ward in Guadalcanal Province, I had the impression that it had been made from a shipping container but probably not. Nevertheless, the size and sturdy construction of the facility could easily be duplicated by a converted shipping container and be durable, strong and provide protection from termites and white ants.
The community at Malango waited 25 years for their much needed mini-hospital and I have no idea how long construction took, or how long the planning and finance needs covered but presumably quite some time.
I believe there would be minimum time in making a modular health clinic fabricated at a suitable location. It would be cost effective, robust, occupy a minimal footprint and need minimal construction on site.
Shipping containers have a long history of being converted into offices, homes, and for other uses. They have also been used as laboratories and clinics for many decades, though with varying degrees of sophistication. New techniques, materials, designs, and fittings have been repeatedly refined to maximize the space available, improve safety, and generally increase functionality.
I would be confident that Solomon Islanders could easily adapt a shipping container to the specifications and standards that the MOHMS would possibly require.
Modifications such as adding additional ventilation, electricity (by solar power), and insulation between walls and roofs to reduce internal temperature fluctuations could easily be made.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has supported modular clinics and laboratories in Livingstone, Zambia and presumably have seen the wisdom and practicability of converting shipping containers in a way that could bring cost-effective benefits to the Solomon Islands communities still without adequate rural health facilities.
End of quote.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
