Is the government neglecting the country’s biggest Hospital?
THE struggling National Referral Hospital (NRH) in Honiara is suffocating as the current situation now is dubbed as NRH crisis by local medical doctors and also patients who are admitting there.
The issue is currently the hottest topic in the social media platform now.
A doctor who spoke to this paper on anonymity said all the health workers are working in a stressful environment for so long now and it’s becoming worse every day.
“This is a national embarrassment indeed and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services never said anything about how to address the situation at our only life saving institution,” the doctor said.
It was understood that COVID-19 is currently the government’s top priority living NRH and other health related matters suffocating in the back seat.
“While the government is prioritising COVID-19 our people are dying at the NRH.
“We are not exaggerating here, we see it every day, we feel the struggle with the patients who walk in everyday with pain and hope to get better.
“It’s simple NRH, if the responsible ministry and the government continue to neglect it or slow in addressing the issues, the truth is we are sinking and if COVID-19 strikes it will be a hell for us,” one local doctor said.
Currently, the shortage and lack of bedding for patients is just uncontrollable and every day medical workers have to work under pressure, when duty calls.
Patients walked in the outpatient with pain and yet have to sleep on the cold tile along the corridors waiting for the hardworking doctors and nurses.
Former Special Secretary to the Prime Minister, Andrew Muaki told this paper that it’s obvious fact the Minister for Health, Dr Culwick Togamana, has not visited or said much about what his office would do to address the dire and embarrassing situation at the nation’s top hospital.
This prompted the health workers that despite threats of being disciplined, they have publicly voiced frustration and anger on various social media platforms at the lack of direction from the minister and his team at the MHMS.
Muaki further stressed that it seems the MHMS have, over the years, ignore data that clearly points to an increase in population both nationally and in Honiara, in particular.
“Such population increase only points to one outcome: increase in patients visiting the NRH!” he added.
This paper also understand that some commentators on social media are worried that if Solomon Islands experience any public health crisis such as the one now being experienced in neighboring Fiji Islands, the public health service in Solomon Islands would completely collapse.
Doctors and nurses are now advising residents in Honiara and the nation to look after their health because “we can’t cope with the bedding issue and continuous power outages, “one health worker said.
Meanwhile, Muaki said that various parliamentary committee reports since 2009 on the state of the NRH are eating dust in MHMS and various governments’ ministries, including the Office of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
“It appears successive governments have generally ignored these reports,” he stressed.
Facebook forum users are calling on the Minister Dr Culwick and his team to show leadership and address the NRH crisis as a matter of national importance.
By ANDREW FANASIA
Newsroom, Honiara
