BY BARNABAS MANEBONA
Years now and Wagina Clinic in Choiseul Province is still waiting for attention to improve its health facilities.
From report, treatments for sicknesses and to address many other health issues at Wagina are not balanced for a long period now as the clinic building is in a critical rundown state.
Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) for Wagina, Ward one, Hon. Movete Tupou Kabiri explains that Wagina Clinic operations and services over the past years have been moved to an old classroom as there was promise for a new Area Health Centre (AHC).
In 2019, a ‘tender notice’ was put out by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS), since then, the outcome of the tender notice for the construction of a new Area Health Centre (AHC) is not known.
The community of Wagina have no choice but to renovate the old rundown clinic since nothing has been forthcoming over the years and move back into it for health services at this present.
“Nothing whatsoever has been addressed to our rundown clinic to this day. Even for a feasibility study,” said Kabiri.
“Since coming in as MPA for Wagina in 2013, it has been a struggle trying to seek some assistance and help inside and outside of the country to improve the health services for Wagina.
“It is not only communities within Ward 1 that rely on the Wagina clinic for health services but also nearby communities from mainland Choiseul who are neighbours, from Wards 16 and 2.
“From mainland Choiseul, these Wards too can come and use this clinic and it is a big concern while the population increases and all sorts of diseases are experienced, as well as the current Coronavirus [COVID-19].
“The rundown clinic was built in the late 1960s and since then has had little renovation done through the province and community initiatives. Only the walling and roofing have been changed through the years while the foundation remains the same.
“All through the past years, I have seen that this clinic has been neglected having no one looking after it.
“No one has seen the importance and the cry of the people of Wagina and the surrounding communities of our people from mainland Choiseul.
“We have nurse aid at Wagina, registered Nurse and we have a microscopist for malaria. But if you go into the clinic, though I am not a technical man, one can see that it is not suitable to use.
“The concern is when will our national government look into this issue? When will our donor partners coming into the country look into this situation? Where are our aid donors or partners of the national government?
“Will it be able for them to at least look to our province, and specifically Wagina on this issue I am trying to bring forth?
“We have been left out for so many years so I just want to voice this out. The first entry point is at Wagina, ships whether they travel from north or south of Choiseul, you will come to Wagina. Wagina is like a checkpoint. This means this is a checkpoint for health services to be improved as well.”
The MPA for Wagina Ward 1 explains that it is difficult to travel to the Headquarters in Taro Hospital for referrals as it is five hours travelling in the distance.
“If there is a rough sea, you cannot travel to Taro. So we have to use Gizo Hospital to look after our sick people and medical referrals,” said Kabiri.
“At Wagina, some sicknesses or situations cannot be treated as that is not possible because of the rundown situation. Women end up giving birth at their own homes because of the clinic’s condition. It is the village people [women] who end up taking care of ‘giving birth’ situations in the local traditional ways. The medical Staff just fills in their birth date and other medical documents the next day.
“At this stage, I am trying to voice this issue out because we do not know where we are at in the bits and pieces of all these arrangements. Medical personnel came in doing consultations with the community people and the health committee at Wagina but nothing whatsoever has come forth from these consultations.
“We have only been hearing excuses of financial shortage and that, plans are being held up in the meantime. So I just want to ask when we will look into the challenges and hardships that our people from the eastern part of Choiseul, communities at the mainland and communities at the island of Wagina are facing. When can responsible authorities address us in this area of concern? We are facing hardships over health services.
“I put this out because I believe if I do not reveal the current health situation at Wagina, then it will continue and not be addressed. We ourselves will face bigger health challenges.
“There are around 3,000 people at Wagina, so I believe the Ward there needs a health centre that can be able to assist the health needs of the people.
“I urge responsible authorities, especially the national government and the ministry of health that they need to prioritise us as well because since the 1960s is now too long.”
Sunday Isles is still following up for a response from the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) on this issue since inquiring last week.
