Transcript
Late last week, doctors at the country's main referral hospital in Honiara called for the government to declare a state of emergency for the country's health system, saying it was in a state of crisis.
They said some remote aid posts had been forced to close, and the country's main referral hospital in Honiara was on the brink -- with a critical shortage of drugs and medical supplies that was affecting patients.
This has been going on for months though, hasn't it?
Yes, for much of the year we've had reports of what's been going on in Solomon Islands.
They've run out of drugs before, doctors have resorted to using expired medicine, and since last month, pregnant women have been told to bring their own gauze and other supplies, while patients have been sleeping on the floor for a lack of beds.
But I guess it's come to a head this week with the doctors' call for a state of emergency, which they said would allow the government to bring in a bulk order of medical supplies rapidly.
Has the government acknowledged the crisis? What's being done by them?
Yes and no. On Sunday Prime Minister Rick Hou called a news conference to insist that there is no crisis in the country's health system, and refused to declare a state of emergency.
Mr Hou said the shortage was caused by poor communication and problems with the process of getting medication to the hospital -- obviously -- but the doctors are saying the problems are more systemic than that.
This week, though, emergency drug supplies have been scrounged together from private pharmacies in Honiara, while they wait for additional orders to be brought in.
Mr Hou said the country has also sought help from diplomatic missions in the country. So Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan.
But he's also been at pains to say the drug shortage is under control. Although that has been said a few times in recent months.
Similar things have been happening in Papua New Guinea, too?
Yes. So chronic drug shortages have been a problem in PNG for years, but things have been coming to a head in recent months with clinics closing down, and some hospitals reporting that they were completely out of drugs and supplies, and a crisis with a shortage of anti-retrovirals for those living with HIV/AIDS.
But today we've learned that Daru General Hospital in Western Province is on the verge of shutting down due to critical shortage of supplies
The hospital serves a province of over 200-thousand people, where the capital Daru has a high number of patients with tuberculosis.
Reports from daru indicate TB patients are likely to be among those affected the most by the hospital's closure, with few other sources of treatment available to them.
One report even says that some nurses have contracted TB because there's been no face masks for them.
Many of Western's rural health centres are closed, but patients being are sent to the hospital in Daru are being told they cannot be treated because there is no medicine.