BY LIONEL TAORAO
Ulawa Island Based Isles Media Freelance Reporter
ULAWA Island’s Covid19 Oversight committee will be giving its demands to the Makira Ulawa Provincial Disaster Oversight Committee to supply Ulawa people with all necessary equipment and training before they can allow the repatriation of dead bodies to Ulawa.
This came up after the committee is informed in their extraordinary meeting held yesterday to discuss a request to the Ulawa Covid19 Oversight Committee from relatives of one deceased who is in Honiara to be transported to Ulawa after getting approval from NEOC and MUP PDOC to allow them to do so since the Ulawa Island’s Covid19 Oversight Committee in one of their Resolutions, Resolution 16 prohibits the repatriation of those died outside of Ulawa island to be transported to Ulawa in the meantime since Ulawa Island does not have the necessary equipment and trained people to handle such case.
Contributing during the discussion on the issue, Suholo member and MPA for Ward two, Hon. Joe Takeli says that he is very upset that NEOC and PDOC have already given approval for the repatriation of the deceased from Honiara, a Covid19 highly infected area to Ulawa Island which they know lacks the ability to handle any Covid19 outbreak because of the lack of proper equipment (PPE’s) and trained personnel.
“Since we are mandated by the chiefs and the people of Ulawa island, it is our duty to tell the responsible authorities to ensure that we are supported with all necessary equipment, we have trained personnel on the ground to handle such cases before we can allow the repatriation of our people who have died outside of Ulawa to must take place first before this should happen”, Hon. Takeli says.
“We cannot allow them to put our people’s lives in danger, especially whilst we are still enjoying our Island’s Covid19 free status”, he added.
Hon. Takeli further states that the decision made by the Makira Ulawa Provincial Disaster Oversight Committee on the issue is disappointing because they don’t make proper consultation with the people on Ulawa.
However, the oversight committee was informed by the committee’s secretary, Mr. John Ladahunu that a team consisting of five medical staff will be going to Ulawa island to train nurses on Ulawa on how to do testing for Covid19 as well as do vaccination around the Island and are expected to arrive today as well as a team from the Makira Ulawa Provincial Disaster Oversight Committee (PDOC) led by the Makira Ulawa Provincial Premier, Hon. Julian Makaa and the Provincial Police Commander, PPC Peter Sitai to hold talks with the Ulawa Island Covid19 Oversight Committee who are to travel to Ulawa on Thursday, tomorrow.
