In photo left to right: Deputy Secretary Health Corporate Service Mr. Layten Jacob, KOICA Pacific Islands Team Assistant Ms. Songi Lee, KOICA Department of South Asia and Pacific Director General Mr. Jongmin Park, MHMS Permanent Secretary Mrs. Pauline McNeil, Deputy Secretary Health Care Dr. Gregory Jilini and Director Planning and Policy Mr. Brian Idufanoa.
KOICA South Asia & Pacific Director General visit Ministry of Health and Medical Services
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Department of South Asia and Pacific Director General, Mr. Jongmin Park and KOICA Pacific Islands Team Assistant Manager Ms. Songi Lee paid an official courtesy visit to the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) Permanent Secretary and MHMS Senior Executive yesterday afternoon, reaffirming KOICA’s continued commitment to improving maternal and newborn health outcomes in Solomon Islands.
The visit follows KOICA’s support to the Maternal and Newborn Health Care in Solomon Islands Project of 5 million USD (Dec. 2022 – June 2026), which is being implemented through the World Health Organization (WHO) in close partnership with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services. The Maternal and Newborn Health Care project goal is to improve the health condition of mothers and newborns in five target provinces (Honiara City Council, Guadalcanal, Western, Central, and Malaita provinces). Its objectives are; to strengthen national governance to improve quality of maternal and newborn services, increase of utilization of maternal services, build public awareness and community trust in maternal and newborn health services.
During the visit, Ministry of Health and Medical Services Permanent Secretary Mrs. Pauline McNeil and Health Senior Executive met with the KOICA South Asia and Pacific General Director and discussed progress achieved under the project, ongoing challenges in maternal and newborn health care delivery, and opportunities for continued collaboration.
Mrs. Pauline McNeil, Permanent Secretary, MHMS thanked and expressed appreciation for KOICA’s continued support and emphasized the positive impact of the project on frontline health services. However, she added there are challenges faced but reiterated her support to a successful completion of the project.
“The partnership with KOICA and WHO has strengthened our efforts to improve maternal and newborn health care. This support contributes significantly to building a resilient health system that responds to the needs of our women, children, and families,” said Mrs. McNeil.
Meanwhile, KOICA South Asia and Pacific Director General Dr. Jongmin Park highlighted KOICA is happy to support the Maternal and Newborn Health Care project through collaboration with WHO and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services. He noted his visit to Solomon Islands will help him see for himself the achievements and challenges the project encounters. However, he stated through the support KOICA is looking forward to a successful completion of the project.
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