17 doctors still refuse vaccine, Solomon Islands lack capacity to treat COVID-19 outbreak

Honiara: Seventeen doctors at the Solomon Islands National Referral Hospital (NRH) continue to avoid being vaccinated.

This is according to the chief executive officer of the NRH, Dr George Malefoasi. He confirmed this during a press conference with local journalists at the Prime Minister’s Office.

He said there are 95 doctors from key departments at the NRH; of this total number, 17 doctor still refuse to get vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccines.

Doctors decision

“Of the 95 doctors at NRH key departments 17 refused to take the vaccine. So, at the moment we are still talking with them but they still stand not to receive the jab.

“Out the 17 doctors three are from a very high positions and key decision maker clinicians in one of our key department at the NRH,” Dr Malefoasi said.

He stressed they are looking at having another dialogue with them and also to engage international doctors to get the doctors to receive their jab.

“As a CEO I am very much concerned on three senior doctors from one of our key department, all the rest are junior registrars. These junior ones need to decide,” Dr Malefoasi said.

Dr Jones Ghabu, senior consultant physician at NRH and head of internal medicine department, in a recent radio talkback show had appealed to all doctors and nurses who have not yet had their jab to do so.

“I again asked all doctors and nurses who are unvaccinated in the country to please go get your jab because if there should be an outbreak of covid-19 in the country all of us will be affected,” Dr Ghabu said.

He said all individuals have the risk to get infected with the COVID-19 virus. The only way to minimise it is to get vaccinated.

Appeal to public

Dr Ghabu also called on all citizens in the country to no get manipulated by theories about the COVID-19; “theories are not truthful,” he said.

He uttered, “the truth is that people are dying everyday with the COVID-19 virus.

The vaccine that we are trying to rolling-out works and saves a lot people.”

Meanwhile, Solomon Islands does not have the capacity to handle a COVID-19 outbreak in the country if there should be any, says Dr Ghabu, a senior consultant physician at the National Referral Hospital and head of internal medicine department.

“As someone working in the hospital and is treating people daily we do not have the capacity to treat outbreak in the country.”