HEALTH EQUIPMENT RECEIVED LAST WEEK PART OF U.N.I.C.E.F’s PROGRAM

Solomon Islands Paediatrician Dr James Auto says the machines handed over to the National Referral Hospital last Friday is part of UNICEF’s wider program with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services support to women and newborn babies in Solomon Islands.

In an interview with SIBC News Dr Auto says the new equipment is the result of a training program conducted last year for nurses and people in the communities.

“This handover didn’t just happened as a handover but is a culmination to the final end of a programme which ran over the past year to firstly; train nurses and also community people to know about newborns and about women and the risks and diseases that they are facing.”

He adds, the training and health equipments will assist the Ministry of Health and Medical Services achieve Millennium Development Goal Number Four to reduce Child Mortality Rate and MDG Five on Maternal Health.

“The Millennium Development Goals Four and Five – the former about child mortality while the latter is about women’s mortality – which targets that Solomon Islands have to reduce mortality in these two groups, so the programme is also trying to achieve those targets, and like I said it’s not just the handing over of this equipment but trainings also.”

The equipment includes a ‘Multi-parameter patient monitor for the Nursery ward and a delivery bed for the hospital’s labour ward.

SIBC News understands Tulagi and Kirakira Hospitals have been recipients of similar donations from the New Zealand Government, facilitated through the UNICEF.