The National Government through the Ministry of Health and Medical Services is beefing up emergency supplies to the Provinces.
Health and Medical Services Minister Dr. Culwick Togamana confirmed on Wednesday that the Malaita Provincial health teams continue to distributed oxygen concentrators to Atoifi hospital and Area Health Centers including Malu’u, Nafinua and Afio and this week.
Additional supplies of PPEs including medicines are also being sorted for distribution to health facilities across the Province. On Wednesday, a team comprising a doctor from Kiluufi hospital was sent to Malu’u health centre for assessment and care for COVID-19 as most staff at Malu’u Health Centre have also tested positive for COVID.
In Guadalcanal Province, preparations to distribute oxygen concentrators across the province’s health facilities is underway following completion of PPE and IPC supplies distribution to all 6 Area Health Centers and Visale Rural Health Centre. Vaccination is ongoing and has been rolled out this week at Marara, Visale, Good Samaritan Hospital and Marau.
In Choiseul Province, a team from Taro is being mobilized to support contact tracing and swab and test efforts in Sasamungga since the community has reported its first case in their area. More COVID-19 supplies, which includes PPEs and IPC supplies, medicines and oxygen concentrators have arrived in Choiseul and will be sorted for distribution across the province later this week.
In Isabel province, Buala hospital is equipped with Oxygen concentrators and portable oxygen bottles relevant for use across health facilities in Isabel are being organized for refueling and will be dispatched as soon with additional PPEs and IPC supplies.
In Makira province, additional COVID-19 medical supplies and consumables have been sent to Kirakira this week and are being sorted for distribution to health facilities across the Province. 13 Oxygen concentrators have also been prepositioned at Kirakira hospital for severe cases of COVID.
On other efforts of the response, both vaccination and COVID—19 swab teams are also implementing integrated roll out plan where vaccination roll out reaching communities also involve training of nurses in area and rural health clinics and nurse aid posts to conduct COVID-19 rapid test.
It is planned that a team will be deployed to Ulawa this week depending on weather conditions while another team is currently rolling out vaccination and swabbing at Kaonasugu clinic, north coast of Makira this week.
For Temotu Province health authorities are mobilizing COVID-19 supplies such as PPEs and IPCs including relevant medicines to support with management of COVID-19 patients to rural health centers from Lata hospital. This is ongoing alongside roll out of COVID-19 vaccination.
Similarly, in Rennell and Bellona, no COVID case has been detected so far nevertheless, preparedness is continuing. In Tingoa, the health facility is equipped with oxygen concentrators with additional units in discussion for deployment.
Procurement of a generator set to enable administration of these concentrators in other rural health centers in the province is underway. More PPEs and IPC supplies have also been deployed to Rennell this week, and those for Bellona will be shipped over as soon as logistical arrangements are in place.
-GCU Press