Our team of nurse educators are finishing up a busy week in the Solomon Islands, where they have delivered a continuation of our nurse training program based at the National Referral Hospital (NRH) in Honiara.
On this visit, the previous team (volunteer nurse educators Jan Rice and Daisy Sergeant) were joined by Rebecca Weda, a breast care nurse from Melbourne, who ran training sessions with both nursing staff and community groups both in Honiara and surrounding communities, focused on the early detection and treatment of breast cancer.
This is a new area for Interplast, but one which is a growing need in the Pacific Islands, where poor diagnosis and late treatment of breast cancer is resulting in poor outcomes for patients, and placing a substantial burden on local health systems. Our local partners and previous volunteer teams recommended that Interplast include this in our education programs. Local surgeons noted that breast cancer was the most common cancer recorded in Honiara last year, and that training in breast self-examination is crucial to reduce late presentations.
Our volunteer nurses are working through the NRH but also with community and church groups to address some of the cultural and knowledge barriers to seeking treatment.
Daisy and Jan continued their focus of training with the ward nurses at the National Referral Hospital, and were pleased to see improvements in the wards from last visit, and management and administrative practices which they introduced previously being used enthusiastically.
“The Solomon Islands have benefitted immensely in the activities of Interplast here”, said NRH Medical Superintendant, Dr Rooney Jagilly.
Interplast has been working in the Solomon Islands since 1984, and in that time has delivered 40 programs, including plastic and reconstructive surgical and training programs and nurse education. This current visit was generously supported by the Rotary Clubs of Mornington and Mt Eliza.
