What might be expected from China by way of direct aid to the health sector in the Solomon Islands now that formal diplomatic ties have been established with Beijing?
Two recent stories have combined to focus my thoughts today on what might be expected from China by way of direct aid to the health sector in the Solomon Islands now that formal diplomatic ties have been established with Beijing?
It will be recalled that earlier this month the Prime Minister, the Hon. Manasseh Sogavare, signed five MOU’s with the Chinese Government and one was of particular interest to me when I saw the text of the MOU.
It read, quote:
“MOU with Guangdong which opens up cooperation between Guangdong and our various provinces covering agriculture, fisheries, health and people to people relations.”
Yesterday, the SIBC ran a news story which stated, quote:
The Core Ministerial Coordinating Committee (CMCC) within the Prime Minister’s Office will bring a cabinet paper of resolutions to the Cabinet for consideration and commitment to the 2020 Budget.
“The resolutions were outcomes of a recent meeting with the Ministry of Health Medical Services, MHMS, and the Ministry of Women, Youth and Children Affairs, MWYCFA.
“THE CMCC followed up on MHSM status, plans and cost implications regarding country’s health system, but more specifically, plans to deal with closed clinics and health facilities.
“During the discussions MHMS presented, there are a total of 408 health facilities throughout the country, 56 of which are currently closed for health services.
“It also noted that 24 health facilities are reclassified as AHC L1, and 18 health facilities reclassified as AHC L2.
“The resolution emphasised, all closed health facilities around the country be redeveloped with the view to building totally new facilities.”
The second piece of news related to the inspiring account of how a fourteen year old boy from the Solomons was able to get life saving surgery for his heart condition at the internationally know Wolfson Hospital in Israel.
The teenager was unable to receive the surgery he needed at home and was flown to Israel by a charity organization.
The teenager’s case served to illustrate the need for specialist treatment abroad for patients with special needs and a situation which will be ongoing until the health care situation improves at home.
How might China help given the SIG’s refreshed commitment to re-building the rural health centres and clinics and provisioning the National Referral Hospital (NRH) with a CT scan to aid diagnosis?
Also, what about health care generally, including dealing with hearing loss, NCDs, treating malaria, tuberculosis, the provision of prosthetic limbs, heart disease, cancer and the several other conditions and diseases that need better attention, despite all that is currently done by dedicated medical officers, nursing staff and medical service administrators?
To try and find answers, I took a look at what China has been doing in Africa and other countries and found some answers in a past press statement issued by the China International Cooperation Agency, from which I quote:
“Medical and health care is a major field where China directs its foreign assistance. From 2010 to 2012, China helped recipient countries improve their medical and health services, raise their disease control and prevention ability, and enhance their public health capacity by constructing hospitals, providing medicine and medical equipment, dispatching medical teams, training medical workers and conducting exchanges and cooperation on disease prevention and treatment with other developing countries.
“Constructing medical facilities and providing free medical equipment. China assisted about 80 construction projects of medical facilities, including general hospitals, mobile hospitals, health centers, specialist clinics, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) centers, which have effectively alleviated the shortage of medical and health facilities in recipient countries. Moreover, China provided them with about 120 batches of medical equipment and medicine, including color Doppler ultrasound machines, CT scanners, automatic biochemical analyzers, maternal and infant monitors, critical surgical instruments, ICU monitors, and MRI scanners as well as drugs against diseases such as malaria and cholera.
“Dispatching medical teams. China dispatched 55 medical teams with 3,600 medical workers to nearly 120 medical centers in recipient countries. They trained tens of thousands of local medical staff, which has relieved to a certain extent the shortage of medical services in recipient countries. The training was carried out through demonstrations, lectures, technical courses and academic exchanges, covering such topics as the prevention and treatment of malaria, AIDS, schistosomiasis and other infectious diseases, patient care, the treatment of diabetes and rheumatism, as well as the TCM of acupuncture application, naprapathy, health care methods and Chinese medicines. From 2010 to 2012, more than 100 Chinese medical workers were conferred medals by the recipient countries for their outstanding contributions.
“Carrying out Brightness Trip activities. Brightness Trip program was actively carried out in both governmental and non-governmental channels to help other developing countries in the treatment of eye diseases. From 2003, China started to send medical teams to provide free surgery for patients with eye diseases in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Pakistan and other Asian countries. In November 2010, a Chinese Brightness Trip medical team arrived in Africa for the first time and carried out operations for over 1,000 cataract patients in countries including Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and Sudan.
“Assisting the prevention and control of infectious diseases. From 2010 to 2012, China provided 60 batches of antimalarial medicine, H1N1 influenza vaccine and cholera vaccine free of charge to other developing countries and held training in the prevention and control of infectious diseases, the expenditure for this purpose accumulating to RMB200 million. In 2007, China and the Comoros launched a cooperation program of treating malaria with an artemisinin compound, an effective antimalarial drug, which helped the Comorian island of Moheli reduce its incidence of malaria by 90%. From 2010 to 2012, while making further progress in Moheli, China started promoting the program on the Comorian island of Anjoyan.”
I guess time will tell what Chinese assistance by way of medical health care the Solomon Islands receives but it might be hard pressed to meet what Taiwan did in aiding local medical services in past years.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
