There are four main news stories of interest in print today which I would like to quote and share with readers.
In the first story, people with special needs are calling on any transport owner to assist them in their planned supplies delivery.
The President of the People with special needs, Casper Joseph Fa’asala has said while the Parliament is busy debating the protests, riots and lootings, the office of People with Disabilities is also worrying about the effects of these events impacting the lives of our people with disabilities living within three constituencies of Honiara.
“Some are been traumatized besides being victimized and stigmatized and therefore have urged our office to seek support from our Australian Humanitarian Partner Agencies to provide food, hygiene, and basic household items for almost 200 Persons with Disabilities in and around Honiara.”
He said following the assistance from Oxfam and more especially ADRA for support, they have been distributing food items and other basic needs since last weekend.
Therefore, he said they need some assistance with transport to deliver the rest of the supplies.
Mr. Fa’asala has thanked Oxfam and more especially ADRA for all the support which he received from the office manager of PWDSI, since Saturday last weekend.
In the second news item, provincial medical services in the Solomon Islands will receive a much-needed boost to their technology services, thanks to a donation of A/V equipment by the Pacific Community (SPC), including tablets, laptops, multimedia projectors, cameras, video conferencing material, and smart monitors.
The Permanent Secretary for Health, Pauline McNeil, acknowledged the long history of partnership between the SPC and the Solomon Islands Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) and highlighted the critical role the new equipment will play saying,
“There are many invaluable lessons from health projects both funded by the government and partners across the country.
“We are grateful to SPC for the equipment which will greatly enhance our ability to share these experiences between national and provincial teams. And, as a result, improve the medical expertise of the entire nation. “
The equipment was officially handed over by SPC’s Melanesia Director, Mia Rimon, who stressed, “Supporting the wellbeing of Pacific communities is at the core of SPC’s mandate, and medical services are critical to this effort. We are very pleased to be able to make this contribution, and help the Solomon Islands as they work towards their nation health goals.”
Ms.Rimon also acknowledged the hard work of health workers both in COVID-19 frontline and support operations, those rolling out COVID-19 vaccines including all others who work behind the scenes to ensure normal health services are maintained.
“The health challenges in the Pacific have been enormous and will continue to put stress on national services, but we hope that this support will greatly enhance your capacity and capability to deliver for the people in Solomon Islands”.
Once properly cataloged, the new equipment will be distributed to provincial hospitals and Health teams where it is expected to be put into immediate use.
The St John Ambulance Service has a new Land cruiser added to their convoy which will help transform the work undertaken during emergencies.
St John Ambulance Service Chief Officer, Douglas Kelson said the Ambulance is a donation from the Queensland Ambulance Service to St John Ambulance Solomon Islands.
He told the Solomon Star last Thursday, that the ambulance is fully equipped and is now ready for operations by a St John medical Ambulance crew.
The Ambulance will service an area from Aola in the East to Lambi in the West of Guadalcanal Province, Kelson said.
In the concluding news item, the Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) has expressed its sympathy for all the businesses that have been burnt, looted and affected by the recent unrest.
SICCI would also like to encourage business houses that have not been affected to resume operations as the situation slowly returns to normal in the capital Honiara.
SICCI, as the peak body representing the private sector in the country, since the start of the unrest has been in constant communication with its partner the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) under the MoU between the two organizations.
“There is an assurance from authorities of safety and restoration of law and order in Honiara City, as such; the business community is encouraged to return to businesses as usual. The sooner we get things up and running again the sooner we can start the healing and recovery process.
“We wish also to assure the business community and the general public of the RSIPF’s capability with the regional support from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea.
Businesses have been resilience in coping with the effects of the global pandemic and it is more important for us businesses to continue to be resilient as we anticipate to adapt to the recent disruption, maintain continuous business operations and safeguard our people and assets,
SICCI also wishes to highlight an important point from the business’s perspective in regard to the economic uncertainty and political instability as witnessed in the country in the past week.
Businesses cannot thrive without economic and political stability. As a Chamber we condemn the recent unrest, looting and burning, and targeting businesses, to the extent, the business community has been greatly affected.
