A review of health leadership and management capacity in the Solomon Islands

Type Journal Article - Pac Health Dialog
Title A review of health leadership and management capacity in the Solomon Islands
Author(s)
Volume 18
Issue 1
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2012
Page numbers 166-167
URL https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kojo_Asante/publication/233928898_A_review_of_health_leadership​_and_management_capacity_in_the_Solomon_Islands/links/0046353199a8367b8b000000.pdf#page=166
Abstract
Executive summary
This article describes the current state of health
management and leadership capacity and issues that
affect management performance in the Solomon Islands.
Solomon Islands has a population of about 500,000,
nearly 40% of which are under the age of 15 and around
80% live in rural areas.
The country has undergone signifcant social and
economic upheavals over the past decade which have
greatly affected its developmental efforts. Armed con?ict
arising from tensions between rival ethnic groups
contributed to the degradation and near collapse of the
economy between 1998 and 2003.
The tensions led to the deployment of the Australian-led
Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI)
to restore law and order in 2003. As a result of the
internal con?ict and weak domestic revenue generation,
the Solomon Islands economy currently relies heavily
on external donor support. Overseas development
assistance accounted for nearly 48% of the country’s
gross national income in 2006. The Australian and New
Zealand governments provide signifcant budget support
to the health and education sectors. The health sector
has seen some improvements since independence but
formidable challenges remain. Life expectancy at birth
rose by nearly fve years from 62.2 years in 2000 to 67 in
2010. Infant mortality has dropped signifcantly from 66
per 1,000 live births in 1999 to 24 per 1,000 in 2007. An
increasing number of births occur in a health facility under
the supervision of skilled health personnel.