THE Ministry of Health and Medical Services together with Fred Hollows Foundation New Zealand on 10th October celebrated World Sight Day with the theme: “Love your Child’s eyes”.
Speaking at the celebrations, Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) Minister Dr Paul Popora Bosawai highlighted the day is not just being celebrated for progress made in eye health but also reaffirms our commitment to ensuring every child in the Solomon Islands has the opportunity to see and experience the World with clarity.
“The theme of this year’s World Sight Day, ‘Love your Childs eyes’, resonates deeply with us. It is a reminder of our duty to protect and nurture the vision of our young ones, and to ensure they have the brightest possible future. Our children are our future, and their ability to see the world clearly is paramount to their development and success”.
“I want to highlight the importance of collaboration and continuous improvement in our healthcare system. Our mission is clear: to provide universal health coverage and integrated, people centred eye care. This goal cannot be achieved without your unwavering support and active participation. As leaders and frontline workers, you are pivotal in implementing our National Health strategic plan and ensuring that every citizen receives the care they deserve”, said Dr Bosawai.
He highlighted that the ministry has made provisions for eye health in its National Health Strategic Plan. This includes investing in state-of-the-art equipment, in-country bachelors training for our nurses, and supporting the Eye program with the provincial outreaches amongst others.
“These initiatives reflect our commitment to making eye care an integral part of our national healthcare system and ensuring universal health coverage. The provincial eye workers are pivotal in this mission and apart from Honiara based care personnel, we are joined with esteemed participants of the national eye conference, our provincial eye coordinators, non-communicable disease coordinators and our allied eye personnel who have just come out of a 3-day National eye conference which was held this week”, said Dr Bosawai.
“Ï would like to express gratitude to the Fred Hollows Foundation New Zealand for their unwavering support for the National Eye Program over the past decade or so in the Solomon Islands. Their ongoing commitment and assistance in work force support through training of doctors and nurses, and provincial outreaches have been invaluable in advancing our mission to provide quality eye care for all.
As we move forward, let us continue to work together to ensure that every child in the Solomon Islands receive the eye care they need. Let us spread awareness and educate our communities about the importance of eye health. Our collective efforts will make a significant difference in the lives of many.In the words of Helen Keller, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision”. Let us be the visionaries who ensure that every child has the opportunity to see and experience the world in all its beauty,” said Minister Bosawai.
Meanwhile, the Fred Hollows Foundation NZ representative Mr Kaituú Aisake stated, with the theme Love Your Child’s Eyes, that the 2024 World Sight Day activities commenced more than a month ago with the school Visional Acuity (VA) screenings within the Honiara town boundary.
“FHFNZ are proud of the long and fruitful partnership we have with the MHMS. As the international donor partner to the National Eye Division and Ophthalmology Department of NRH, we are proud to be associated with a highly specialized, dedicated and resourceful workforce that provides quality eye health care to all citizens of the Solomon Islands, including our dear children”.
“Our continued long-term commitment to this partnership is reflected in the current review of our existing agreement with the MHMS, to ensure the relevance and practicality of the agreement with the Ministry of Health’s strategic plans, revised goals and aspirations, and health care priorities”, said Mr Aisake.
