The National Referral Hospital (NRH) wishes to clarify the Solomon Star news article “Emergency Strikes: Unavailability of medical consumables send Referral Hospital Theatres into emergency mode” that appeared on the 9th August 2023.
The Solomon Star article stated, “Theatres at the National Referral Hospital are reportedly being forced to go into emergency mode as medical consumables such as gauge and other accessories are no longer available”.
However, the National Referral Hospital Management would like to clarify that the gauze and medical consumables mentioned in the article are in low supply, hence available limited stock is rationed and kept for emergency operations. The Operation Theater (OT) management called on OT users (surgical, orthopedic and Obstetrics and Gynecology surgical teams) to ensure that the only emergency cases to be performed given the stock level.
The hospital management also would like to set things straight that it is the hospital’s standard operation procedures to reduce services due to low medical supplies including consumables.
The management assured the public that the OT services will be back in full operations as soon as the supplies reached the hospital.
National Medical Store (NMS), Manager, Mr. Wesley Kukutu have assured the hospital that the supplies for the OT have should be available today.
Mr. Kukutu said that currently two containers are offloaded at the NMS that contains Ampicillin, Aspirin, Chloramphenicol, Metformin, Paracetamol, and Salbutamol, Gauze rolls, Catheter Foley, Alcohol swab and Plaster Zinc Oxide. These supplies should be at the hospital and clinics soon as distribution will roll out.
As also stated in the article, Ministry of Health and Medical Services blamed Ministry of Finance and Treasury (MOFT). This is incorrect and grossly misleading. The MHMS continues to work very closely with its partner ministry MOFT and with MOFTS’s support, ensures that the required processes of custom clearance, payments to shipping agents including Ports Authority are expedited. At the same time, MHMS is also liaising closely with its stakeholders such as the shipping agents to ensure clearance of the supplies and at the same time have allowed flexibility in releasing the cargoes while waiting for payments. The MHMS acknowledges the cooperation of our stakeholders in this space.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Health is working closely with both MoFT and its shipping and freight agencies to explore amicable payment options to expedite the payment process to release the containers at the Ports. Ends////…
-MHMS Pres