Geneva, Switzerland – 23 May 2025 – Led by the Honourable Minister of Health and Medical Services, Dr. Paul Bosawai and his delegation while in Geneva, Switzerland took the opportunity to meet with its health development partners. One of such meetings was paying a courtesy visit and convening a strategic meeting with the Global Fund Country Team led by the Regional Manager for South East Asia and World Vision International at the Global Fund Headquarters on the 23rd May 2025.
The meeting was basically to reiterate the international cooperation and partnership, alignment on priorities and strategies for strengthening the Global Fund support and leveraging the Global Fund and partner support to address critical systemic gaps, particularly in the fight against TB and malaria in Solomon Islands.
In acknowledging the international cooperating and partnership, Health Minister Bosawai expressed gratitude for the Global Fund’s continued support in combating malaria and TB in the country and globally, and further reaffirmed its country’s commitment to reshaping the health system through decentralized, community-based, and integrated primary healthcare delivery, especially in rural and hard-to-reach areas.
Health Minister highlighted a few challenges that could hamper implementation on the ground which included shortages of trained health personnel particularly hard to reach and remote areas, aging infrastructure and unreliable energy sources, inefficiencies in procurement and supply chains, and limited and fragmented donor support, and inconsistency of funding continuity by both external and internal financing.
While presenting such challenges impacting on health programming, Health Minister also provided opportunities and consideration for support that included, rehabilitation of health infrastructure including solar-powered facilities, strengthening procurement and supply chain systems, enhancing domestic resources mobilization and co-financing strategies and strengthening governance at all levels as this is essential for an improved responsive services.
Global Fund Country Team was appreciative of the opportunity and acknowledged the Health Minister and his team for a very successful meeting. GF Country Team encouraged the delegation to continue and maintain strong coordination with partners including the current PR to ensure grant performance tracking, fiduciary compliance, and community engagement in timely implementation and necessary steps for grant transition. Global Fund is pleased and reaffirmed its support to the MHMS in the pertinent areas where GF could support, using the leverage and network of the Global Fund’s vast partnerships.
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