NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASE UNIT HOLDS CORPORATE PLANNING WORKSHOP
The founding of the Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Unit, established with the endorsement of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) in early 2021, is currently in its final stages of development. The NTD Corporate Planning Meeting was held on the 13th and 14th of February in Honiara, bringing together key stakeholders and partners to finalize the 2025 – 2029 National NTD Corporate Plan (NNTD-CP).
The Corporate Planning Meeting defines and finalizes the vision, goals and strategies for ending NTDs in Solomon Islands. It also provides a guiding framework for action over the coming five years that will assist in the advocacy, planning and delivery of sustainable NTD interventions. It aligns to the Solomon Islands National Health Strategic Plan 2022 – 2030, and to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Roadmap for NTDs.
Having a stand-alone NTD Unit within MHMS will pave the way for a strengthened approach to integrating NTD activities with other public health program activities across the country while improving coordination and advocacy at the national level.
The NNTD-CP addresses four diseases that heavily impact communities in Solomon Islands: scabies, trachoma, yaws, and soil-transmitted helminths (STH). The NTD Unit acknowledges the presence of two other NTDs in Solomon Islands: dengue and leprosy, which are currently well managed and coordinated under other MHMS Units, and as such are not addressed in the NNTD-CP.
Over the past few years, The NTD Unit, with support from partner organizations, has been making inroads in tackling these diseases through activities such as national prevalence surveys, mass drug administration, and community awareness campaigns. However, NTD Unit Coordinator June Tavalia points out “there is a need to strengthen activities around STH control, which is falling behind other NTD programs”.
Head of the NTD Unit, Mr Oliver Sokana, highlights the critical role of partnerships in advancing NTD control efforts,
“The strength of our partnerships with the World Scabies Program, the Fred Hollows Foundation, and the Kirby Institute has been invaluable. It would be impossible to reach where we are in 2025 without these partners, working together in NTD control. We would also like to recognize WHO assistance in facilitating this meeting, as well as their ongoing support with NTD control in Solomon Islands.”
“The Ministry of Health’s ongoing support in planning and the implementation of activities of NTD has been very positive,” said Mr Sokana.
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- MHMS Press Release