C ommo nwe a l t h memb e r c o u n t r i e s The global MDG 5 target for maternal health is to reduce the number of women who die in pregnancy and childbirth by threequarters between 1990 and 2015. For Solomon Islands the maternal mortality should fall to 38 cases per 100,000 live births. In 2013 Solomon Islands had adjusted a maternal mortality rate of 130 deaths per 100,000 live births – more than three times the target figure. In 2010 this figure was estimated at 93 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by UN agencies/World Bank. Consequently, the target is very unlikely to be achieved. Part of the goal also stipulates that 100 per cent of births must be attended by a skilled health professional. In the period 2007–12 this figure stood at 86 per cent, so this target is also unlikely to be met. MDG 6 aims for a reduction in the prevalence of HIV, malaria and other diseases. There is not enough information from international agencies to confirm the country’s progress on this goal for HIV/AIDS. Estimated mortality (when mortality data excludes cases comorbid with HIV) from TB fell significantly in the period 1990–2013. There was a sharp decrease in malaria deaths in the period 2009–11. Solomon Islands is making progress towards achieving the targets set out under MDG 6, however, the country is unlikely to fully achieve this goal. For definitions, sources and explanations on the Millennium Development Goals see page 314. Universal health coverage Just four per cent of health care in Solomon Islands was paid for by patients or funded by other non-governmental entities – such as private insurers, charities or employers – in 2012. Total health expenditure constituted 7.7 per cent of GDP in 2012, of which 96 per cent (US$142 per capita) was covered by the government. The WHO Country Specific Strategic Agenda has identified a need for Solomon Islands to try to achieve universal health coverage. As a result, the government will be introducing new National Health Accounts and identifying health-financing options, which might include new tobacco tax legislation. There will also be a drive to recruit health care professionals, where human resources gaps have been identified, through initiatives including inviting foreign medical graduates to apply for jobs in its the national health services. Solomon Islands was not an original signatory to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, but declared notification of succession in 1984. It includes ‘the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health’. The covenant commits signees to providing healthy and hygienic environmental conditions, controlling epidemic diseases, improving child health and facilitating access to health services without discrimination. Care of the elderly: Almost 19,000 people in Solomon Islands are over the age of 65 – three per cent of the total population (2013). At the age of 60 a person living in Solomon Islands can be expected to live for an additional 17 years, on average (2013). Statistics have shown that the elderly are over-represented in fatalities caused by natural disasters, such as cyclones or tsunamis, in Pacific islands, including Solomon Islands, due to their reduced ability to physically move out of the way of danger. Consequently, the Samoa Red Cross has involved elderly citizens in planning its Community Disaster and Climate Risk Management programme in an attempt to ensure that their needs are met. In most areas, people live in extended family groups in which the elderly, even those who are childless, are cared for by relatives. These kinship groups are less strong in urban areas and in those families where the younger generations have emigrated in search of jobs. On some islands, local charities and community groups, such as the Mothers Union, will also visit the elderly, passing out soap, clothes and small amounts of cash to the most needy. Further information Ministry of Health: www.commerce.gov.sb/MOH/MOHintro.htm Commonwealth Health Online: www.commonwealthhealth.org/pacific/solomon_islands 266 Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015 Population over 65 3%
Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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