SOLOMON Islands (SI) medical nurses and doctors may soon be heading to Vanuatu to work under the Health Workers South South Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed last week.
The signing of the MOU was sealed on Friday 6th September 2024 at the closure of the 8th Asia Pacific Parliamentarian Forum on Global Health held in Port Vila, Vanuatu, a statement from the Solomon Islands Ministry of Health and Medical Services confirmed.
At the signing the Minister of Health and Medical Services, Dr Paul Popora Bosawai together with his counterpart in Vanuatu, Minister John Still Tari Qetu signed the ‘Health Workers South South Cooperation’ MOU on Friday.
The deal aims to address the shortage of medical workers in Vanuatu.
Currently, the Vanuatu Ministry of Health has over 400 vacancies for nurses alone and since 2019 Vanuatu Ministry of Health is struggling to fill in the gap given that the Centre for Nurses Education or Nursing College got de-registered and therefore caused a fall back in Nurses Training.
Moreover, Vanuatu only has 69 doctors and has a current gap of 50 medical doctors. Consequently, the gap in the number of health workforce in both nursing and medical doctors.
The statement added, the MOU was a culmination of series of ongoing dialogue and negotiation between the two countries which then eventuated to the signing of the MOU last week.
The MOU signing event was the highlight of the forum as it resonated well and was in line with the theme for the 8thAsia Pacific Parliamentarian Forum on Global Health (APPFGH8)
In his brief remarks, Minister Bosawai said, that he was not only delighted that he was there in person to sign the MoU, but also for what the MOU represented that both Health Ministers of Solomon Islands and Vanuatu Health Ministries were taking the health south south cooperation and partnership to a new level.
Aligned to the 8th Asia Pacific Parliamentarian Forum theme on Health workforce, Honorable Dr Bosawai emphasized that “At a time when we all recognize that there cannot be a health system without health workers.
“At a time when we as Parliamentarians collectively reaffirm that health workers are central to attaining, sustaining, and accelerating progress on universal health coverage and at a time when this 8th Asian Pacific Parliamentarian Forum has over the past 3 days discussed the challenges of health workforce gaps in our region.
“And particularly so, in my neighboring country, Vanuatu, the signing of this MOU is indeed a significant one as what we have highlighted in the past 3 days is the essence of all of that.
“Health workforce is the engine room and is the heart and core of the health system, as without health workforce, health services cannot be delivered,” he said.
Minister Bosawai further added that “In the spirit of sharing of resources particularly in the sharing of human capital, the Solomon Islands Government through my Ministry, I am indeed grateful and proud that under this new MOU arrangement, my ministry is in a position to supply the much-needed human capital to Vanuatu to address its health workforce challenges and HR gaps and in turn enable Vanuatu deliver its health services, thereby saving lives and improving health outcomes”
Minister Bosawai further highlighted that “the Memorandum of Understanding is not just a piece of paper. It commits the two countries (Vanuatu and Solomon Islands) to further strengthen their mutual partnership and cooperation in the health space.
“But more importantly the MOU is a recognition of a long-standing relationship and partnership in the health space between the two countries over so many years and I am proud to be signing this MOU with my colleague Minister of Vanuatu today.”
In his response, the Minister of Health of Vanuatu, Honorable John Still Tari Qetu was equally delighted and acknowledged and thanked the Government and the people of Solomon Islands for the understanding, continuous support in ensuring health services are delivered to very remote and rural communities- ol famli blo yumi lo aelan in Vanuatu.
The Honorable Minister Tari Qetu added that “the signing of the MOU which is in front of us, solidifies further our Melanesian bond and paves the way forward for further dialogue in assisting each other where need arises.”
Minister Bosawai acknowledged and thanked his counterpart Honorable Minister John Still Tari Qetu for his leadership and partnership and looked forward to the successful implementation of the MOU on Health Workers South South cooperation.
Meanwhile, officials from both Ministries of Health of Solomon Islands and the Republic of Vanuatu are now in discussions with the first batch of 5 medical registrar doctors to be deployed to Vanuatu’s Ministry of Health to help fill in the health workforce gap and challenges in Vanuatu.
