3 December 2014
AUSTRALIAN VOLUNTEER WORKING WITH NATIONAL MEDICAL STORES TO ESTABLISH ORDERING SYSTEM
In Solomon Islands, clinics and health centres both in Honiara and the provinces often make do with whatever medicine and equipment they have. There is also a need for accurate data of what sort of equipment and medical supplies are out there and an efficient process on how equipment and medical supplies can be ordered.
‘I have been sent over here with the Australian Volunteers to make a list of all the medical supplies and equipment in the country, to make a booklet and then hopefully we are presenting that to the Ministry of Health and Medical Services to get some funding and a budget to supply some equipment and medical supplies to all the hospitals, area health centres and clinics all over Solomon Islands.’
Sandy Greenwood arrived in the country in February this year to join the National Medical Stores under the Australian Government funded Australian Volunteers International for a 12 month stint. There are approximately 60 Australian Volunteers who work in the country every year in a variety of fields from medical, to legal, the media and education.
Sandy at the National Medical Stores
Before coming to the Solomon Islands, Sandy worked as an operating theatre nurse at various hospitals around News South Wales for more than 30 years and also at the Southern Cross University Coffs Harbour Nursing lab for 5 years which involved a lot of technical work.
‘My work started where I had to go through all the hospitals, to find out what kind of basic medical equipment was there, and then I went to all the Council clinics and visited health centres and the basic clinics out in the provinces, doing the same thing.’
‘From the data collected, the hospitals and health centres can see what’s available and what they can source or order. We will eventually get an ordering system up and running where they can order online and for those rural clinics, they will have the booklet that they can refer to when placing orders for equipment and medical supplies.’
Sandy has also found her time spent here gathering all data towards pulling together the order system as fulfilling.
‘My fulfilment is that we have now been told that we have got some funding and that my assignment has been a success so that we can now order some equipment and supply some of the areas that are in desperate need of basic medical equipment. And I think that’s my main happy achievement. Also, one of my fulfilling achievements has been creating friendships with local colleagues that I worked with and learning the customs of the Solomon Islands’
‘I’ve enjoyed mostly just meeting all the people, seeing how they work and operate, especially down to the clinic levels out in the islands where they have hardly any equipment. It’s great to see how wonderful the people are working with hardly anything and how happy they are at the same time.’