BY LORETTA B MANELE

Opposition Leader, Matthew Wale has stressed on the initiative of having a fully fledged medical faculty at the Solomon Islands National University.

He raised this in parliament yesterday during discussion on the 2026 Appropriation Bill 2025, particularly on the Ministry of Health and Medical Services budget allocation which is SBD $728,507,879.

Initially, Wale raised that SINU already has a production line of nurses hence there is the supply of doctors.

On this note, he said with the size of our population and the growth rate, the level of experienced and qualified doctors in the postgraduate level is high already.

“We can have a fully-fledged medical faculty at SINU. So perhaps that needs to be, you know, a little bit of energy put behind that one.

“Again, I think there’s been some initiatives taken, but for a fully-fledged one, so that in 2027 we have a medical faculty up and running, so many students per year,” he said.

Wale also mentioned that other countries in the region like Vanuatu, Kiribati and Tuvalu would also be interested in this venture.

“So, there is already a need, a catchment for that.

“I’m just wondering whether the government wants to move in that direction and how quickly,” he said.

Minister of Health and Medical Services, Paul Popora Bosawai in response to this, agreed, pointing out that this is something we need in the region.

He also informed parliament that he is already in discussion about this with his Vanuatu counterpart and is also in discussion with his counterpart in Papua New Guinea.

“I’m already in discussion with the Vanuatu counterpart.

“Even my recent trip to Fiji during the WHO, we also explore who are interested, like for Fiji and PNG, they already have their faculty. 

“I’m also in discussion with my counterpart in Papua New Guinea, if we can increase the quota of our intake of our medical students there. So, these are some things that are in discussion,” he said.

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