Health authorities in Solomon Islands this week received a boost to their Covid-19 preparedness with the donation of five new ventilators.
The outpatients area at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Photo: RNZ/Pacific Koroi Hawkins
Up until yesterday the country had only two.
Solomon Islands has no cases of Covid-19 but authorities have been working hard to prepare the already stretched national health system for a potential outbreak.
Around 700 Solomon Islanders are still stranded overseas awaiting repatriation but progress has been slow because of a lack of sufficient quarantine facilities and staff in the country.
The new ventilators were purchased with funds provided by Australia and the World Health Organisation with support from the UNDP global procurement system.
Receiving the ventilators, the Permanent Secretary of the Health Ministry, Pauline McNeil, acknowledged the combined effort to procure and ship the ventilators over to Solomon Islands.
"Whilst work on preventing entry and any possible spread or community transmission of COVID-19 is ongoing, preparations on managing cases of COVID-19 is also of great importance."
McNeil said as well as preparing for Covid-19 the new ventilators would be an immediate boost for patients suffering from other respiratory illnesses.