The Samoan community in the Solomon Islands has assisted the National Referral Hospital by donating aluminum chairs and cleaning agents following months of fundraising.

The handover ceremony took place earlier this week with the Solomon Island (SI) Samoa Community having met with the Chief Executive Officer, Dr. George Malefosi and his team at the National Referral Hospital to hand over the assistance. 

Welcoming the aid, Dr. Malefosi of the National Referral Hospital acknowledged the support.

“N.R.H. is grateful for the aid, and the aluminium seats will support immediate needs at the [emergency department] and outpatient waiting area to replace the wooden stools which have been a focus of reports from the public,” he said in a joint statement from the National Referral Hospital and Samoa Community.

“The cleaning agents fit in well with the Hospital's infection prevention control measure.” 

Dr. Malefoasi added that the NRH have had difficulties getting rid of bed bugs; hence these aluminium seats should stop their breeding and feeding on people using the chairs. 

The Samoa Community aid supports the N.R.H.’s collective responsibility to deliver basic hospital service needs and attend to hospital facilities and service improvements. 

This has been the focus of the Samoa Community’s support to Solomon Islands Communities where possible and therefore started raising funds from fundraising activities this year to help achieve their objectives. 

Some of which include, Hospital resource support, Church communities and Environmental assistance projects.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, the President of the local Samoan Community, Yohni Fepuleai, said that the charity donation to the Solomon Islands’ biggest hospital fulfills one objective of the SI Samoa Community, which is to provide hospital resource assistance where needed.

He also added by thanking the N.R.H. Staff for their persistent service to our community health, importantly the ongoing preparation and response to the national impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

The Samoan community, which is composed of 11 families, aspires to continue with fundraisers with the hope of providing more assistance to those who need it the most. They also acknowledged and thanked all their sponsors and supporters.