BY LORETTA B MANELE
Pauline McNeil, permanent secretary for the Ministry of Health and Medical Services has described the Women’s Leadership Initiative as a campaign to stand up for women in the health sector.
She expressed this at the launch of the “Women’s Leadership Initiative” by MHMS and Solomon Islands Australia Partnership on Wednesday, December 10 at Heritage Park Hotel.
“It is also a campaign that calls on all of us to stand for safety, respect, dignity and equality for all our women, all our health workers who continue to serve and deliver health services; all our girls of today and years to come,” said Mrs McNeil.
She emphasised that for the health sector, this responsibility is immediate and deeply relevant.
McNeil said violence affects the health, safety and dignity of women across our country, hence, strengthening women’s leadership is therefore part of their broader obligation to ensure that our health facilities and workplaces are safe, respectful and equitable.
“It represents a deliberate effort to create pathways for our women in the service. Opening opportunities for them, empowering them, building their capacity to ensure they are confident and competent in the work that they do,” she said.
On this note, the Permanent Secretary stated that for leadership development and for meaningful participation in shaping our health system in this country, they will establish an alignment of network of leaders who can mentor others, regardless of where they are, whether it’s at a lower health facility or at an average ministry headquarter.
“We’ll ensure that the opportunities are available and accessible to ensure that they share experience and serve as role models across the country.
“We will also use evidence from Nationwide Diagnostic Survey of Women in the Health Workforce to identify the barriers, the bottlenecks and the challenges and design effective practical solutions that will be reflected in our strategies, frameworks and policies,” she said.
To top that off, McNeil said they will also continue to advocate for workplace reforms that support women as well as transparent promotion processes, safe and respectable environments that are free of harassment and violence, zero tolerance of violence and flexible arrangements for them to be recognized as they go along in their leadership journey.
She stressed that these commitments are essential if we want a leadership culture that truly reflects the talent, the skills and the diversity of our health workforce.
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