Ministerial engagement and support to malaria elimination in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu

The Malaria Reference Group (MRG) held its fourth meeting in Vanuatu during May 4 to 7, 2009. Three days were spent on the island of Tanna in TAFEA Province and one day in Port Vila. The Prime Minister of Vanuatu, and the Minister of Health, graciously opened the meeting on Tanna and the Provincial President extended a warm welcome.  Those attending the MRG meeting were :
Malaria Reference Group

  1. Prof Richard Feachem, Chair of the Malaria Reference Group
  2. Prof Dennis Shanks, Director, Australian Army Malaria Institute
  3. Prof Graham Brown, Foundation Director, Nossall Institute for Global Health
  4. Prof Janet Hemingway, Director, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
  5. Prof John Reeder, Director, International Health Research Strategy, Burnet Institute
  6. Dr Kevin Palmer, Malaria Adviser
  7. Prof Marcel Tanner, Director, Swiss Tropical Institute
  8. Mr George Taleo, Director, Vector Borne Disease Control Program, Vanuatu
  9. Mr Albino Bobogare, Director, Vector Borne Disease Control Program, Solomon Islands
  10. Mr Leonard Boaz , Deputy Director, Vector Borne Disease Control Program, Solomon Islands

 Others Participants

  1. Dr Rob Condon, AusAID Communicable Diseases Adviser
  2. Mr Colin Reid, Director, Sectoral Program Section, Pacific Branch, AusAID Canberra
  3. Ms Anh Thu Nguyen, Pacific Malaria Initiative, Program Coordinator, AusAID Canberra
  4. Mr Gordon Burns, First Secretary, Australian High Commission, Port Vila
  5. Ms Belynda McNaughton, Senior Program Officer, Australian High Commission, Port Vila
  6. Dr Lasse Vestergaard, Malaria Officer, WHO Vanuatu
  7. Dr Moh-Seng Chang, Malaria Officer, WHO Vanuatu
  8. Ms Karmen Bennett, Global Fund Porfolio Manager, Secretariat of the Pacific Community
  9. Dr Andrew Vallely, Director, Pacific Malaria Initiative Support Centre (PacMISC)
  10. Ms Georgina Dove,  Regional Program manager, PacMISC
  11. Prof Ian Riley, Senior Technical Adviser, PacMISC
  12. Mr Ron Glastonbury, Program Management Support Officer, Vanuatu
  13. Mr Luke Marston, Program Management Support Officer, Solomon Islands
  14. Dr Akira Kaneko,  Malaria Research Centre, Karolinska Institute, Sweden 
  15. Prof Maxine Whittaker, Director of the Australian Centre for International and Tropical Health, School of Population Health, University of Queensland.

Following the meeting of MRGIV, the Chair of the MRG and a small AusAID and PacMISC delegation visited the Solomon Islands during May 8-12. Meetings were held in Honiara and a one day visit was made to Buala, Isabel.  In the Solomon Islands, representatives of Isabel Province visited Honiara in February, 2009, to meet with the MRG Chair. They made a strong case for Isabel to be the second elimination province. Accordingly the MRG Chair, together with the Minister of Health and Medical Services, the Permanent Secretary, and an AusAID and PacMISC delegation visited Buala on May 9th. The Premier of Isabel Province and the Minister of Health and Medical Services formally announced that Isabel has been chosen as the second elimination province in Vanuatu.
Thanks are extended to all the SPH staff who supported the conduct of this MRG, the travel and the PacMISC team preparation. The MRG was successful and the progress made by PacMISC in this important work was recognised by the MRG.