On the first day of the 75th Regional Committee Meeting of the Western Pacific the Minister for Health and Medical Services the Hon, Dr Paul Popora Bosawai has informed Regional Committee some of the steps Solomon Islands are taking to ensure Health care facilities are climate resilient.
Minister Bosawai, is leading a delegation from the Ministry of Health and Medical Services including the Permanent Secretary Mrs Pauline McNeil and Deputy Secretary Dr Gregory Jilini, who are currently representing Solomon Islands at the event, which kicked off this morning on a high note with the delivery of the Regional Committee of the Western Pacific Region’s new vision for the next 5 years by the Regional Director, Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala. The vision was unanimously endorsed by all Health Ministers from the Western Pacific Region.
Climate resilience in health facilities was an agenda item discussed and findings show that while the work on CRESHCF in the Western Pacific Region has shown progress in three areas: guideline development and assessments; implementation of climate resilience initiatives; and climate-informed early warning systems, among other progress reported, there are issues such as financial and implementation limitations and knowledge gaps.
In sharing Solomon Islands’ experiences on Health Care Facility Assessment, Health Minister Dr Bosawai informed the session that Solomon Islands, through the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, is integrating Climate Resilient Environmentally Sustainable Healthcare facilities (CRESHF) as part of ongoing assessment of healthcare facilities.
“The health care facility plans will incorporate site-specific climate proofing measures to ensure the facility is able to deliver essential services during emergencies. This initiative was launched in September this year with our National Referral Hospital leading the way in implementing the needed changes such as retrofitting to make the facility “Safe, Clean, Green and Climate proof.”
“On our Inter-ministerial Collaboration and in enhancing the development of our Health-National Adaptation Plan; the Ministry of Health and Medical Services is working with the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster and Meteorology to carry out the Solomon Islands Integrated Vulnerability Assessments (SIIVA) which includes mapping landslide, flooding and sea level rise enabling the ministry to see which existing facilities are in greater risk and relocate healthcare facilities.
“In ensuring Civil Society Engagement, our local and international NGOs in country are working closely with my Ministry in responding to the needs identified through the health facility assessments. Healthcare facilities have been supported with construction of needed sanitation facilities that take into consideration the resilience and disability lenses.
“All these initiatives are not in isolation but part of my Ministry’s implementation of the Role Delineation Policy which recommends that health infrastructures meet certain minimum standards in terms of design.
“These, I believe will address vulnerabilities of climate change to health care facilities. I urge us all to act now to save lives of our people in the western pacific region. Our action now through weaving health strategies will and hopefully address aetiologies of climate change to build a better healthy future for our children and the children of our children. The choice is on our hands, whether we address the impacts or the aetiologies of climate change to build Climate Resilient Health Care facilities,” said Minister Bosawai.
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-MHMS
