Solomon Islands' health ministry is being urged to send its health promotion team to eastern Guadalcanal in the wake of destructive flooding over the past week.
Heavy rain in the mountains caused flooding that has destroyed food gardens, commercial crops, homes and public infrastructure including bridges in the Ghaobata, East Taimsboko, Vulolo and Paripao wards.
About 12,000 people are affected by food and water shortages and staff at the Good Samaritan hospital at Tetere are treating patients with flood-related problems such as diarrhoea.
The nurse manager, Adrian Manikera, says they are are too busy to go out into the community to tell people about boiling water and other health measures.
"I'm appealing to this provincial health promotion team, if they can also come out to help us every day, educating people. Usually for us nurses we concentrate to see patients, we didn't have time to educate the public."
Adrian Manikera says so far the hospital is coping with the number of patients.
