31 March 2023
Readers to my frequent posts and letters to the Solomon Islands media will have noticed, of late, I have given much more attention to giving news of health-related issues that have been circulated firstly in international publications, by the WHO, and in university papers and journals, touching upon some of the illnesses and diseases so often affecting the people in the Solomon Islands.
I realize the Solomon Islands is still without the medical facilities, resources and even medical staff most often needed to deal with the medical issues I raise, but by raising the often-international approach to the medical conditions and new treatment options, the Solomon Islands government and the SIMHMS will, hopefully, work towards better health care and begin to adopt better treatment options and treatment approaches, based on international successes.
It is my view that the SIMHMS needs to adopt a programme of testing as an improvement to basic health care provisioning and especially when it comes to regular screening for breast cancer, cervical cancer and prostate cancer, but also for cardiovascular disease, lung disease and especially diabetes.
My switch to reporting on medical issues is not only because of my primary concerns for the health issues of the people of the Solomon Islands. but also, because it is easier for me to copy factual external reports concerning major but locally important health topics than it is for me to sit long hours composing pieces when my own health and disability has become difficult for me at my age.
I do, however, still try to compose a letter when I judge the occasion needs it, hence my reference in this particular post to cancer screening, knowing as I do, that there has been a rise in the numbers of cervical cancer cases locally.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
