scholarly journals Transnational police building: critical lessons from Timor-Leste and Solomon Islands

2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 1091-1109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Goldsmith ◽  
Sinclair Dinnen
Keyword(s):  
Solomon Islands ◽  
Timor Leste

scholarly journals Rocketship and the Rural Health Workforce Revolution in the Pacific: Growing Skilled Medical Generalists Across the “Blue Continent”

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lachlan McIver ◽  
Dan Manahan ◽  
Sam Jones ◽  
Lisiate 'Ulufonua
Keyword(s):  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Postgraduate Training ◽  
Solomon Islands ◽  
Hospital Medicine ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
Medical Workforce ◽  
New Graduates ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Timor Leste ◽  
Training Programmes

Dramatic shifts are occurring in the size, shape and skill of rural health workforces in Pacific island countries (PICs) due to an unprecedented convergence of political agreement, policy commitment, donor support and technical assistance. In particular, the impact of “medical internationalism” is being felt across the Pacific region, with new doctors returning home in far greater numbers than ever before, the majority having graduated from medical schools in Cuba, China and other countries outside the region, in addition to the more typical numbers graduating and returning home from the region's main medical schools in Fiji and Papua New Guinea. With an agreed regional vision of “Healthy Islands” across the Pacific, the main objective of expanding overseas training opportunities for Pacific island medical students has been to correct the widespread centralization and maldistribution of the medical workforce in PICs and improve health access and quality of care in rural areas by deploying the new graduates to outer-island facilities. However, the return of these new graduates in several PICs has demonstrated that additional training is required to equip them with the knowledge and skills necessary to practice safely and sustainably in unsupervised settings. Thus, the development of specific postgraduate programmes has been urgently needed to provide pathways to vocational training and specialization in rural medicine appropriate to the Pacific region. Rocketship Pacific Ltd. (Rocketship) is an international health charity, based in Australia, dedicated to improving health in Pacific island countries through stronger primary care. Rocketship's particular focus to date has been on education and capacity-building for doctors and nurses working in rural communities and outer-island facilities. Since 2015, Rocketship has been working in partnership with the Ministries of Health and other key partners in Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga and Vanuatu to design and deliver postgraduate training programmes in the core generalist disciplines family, community and rural hospital medicine. To date, this has resulted in new postgraduate Family Medicine courses being established in Timor-Leste and Tonga; a rural medical workforce support programme being delivered in Vanuatu; and a new Postgraduate Diploma in Rural Generalist Medicine being designed in Solomon Islands. These new programmes, as well as other notable initiatives elsewhere in the Pacific such as the Master of Medicine (Rural) programme in Papua New Guinea, the Diploma and Master of Family Medicine programme in Fiji and the Cook Islands Fellowship in General Practice, are transforming the health workforce in PICs with the potential to benefit island people across the “Blue Continent.” This paper describes the establishment of new postgraduate training programmes in family, community and rural hospital medicine in Timor-Leste, Tonga, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu from the perspective of Rocketship, the non-profit organization engaged by each country's Ministry of Health (or equivalent) to provide expert technical assistance with their initiative.

scholarly journals Estimation of scabies prevalence using simplified criteria and mapping procedures in three Pacific and southeast Asian countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu Ki Tsoi ◽  
Susanna J. Lake ◽  
Li Jun Thean ◽  
Alexander Matthews ◽  
Oliver Sokana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solomon Islands ◽  
Skin Lesions ◽  
Prevalence Estimation ◽  
Informal Consultation ◽  
Pooled Prevalence ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Timor Leste ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Considerable Morbidity ◽  
Effective Public Health

Abstract Background Scabies causes considerable morbidity in disadvantaged populations. The International Alliance for the Control of Scabies (IACS) published consensus criteria in 2020 to standardize scabies diagnosis. However, these criteria are complex, and a WHO informal consultation proposed simplified criteria for mapping, to identify regions of high prevalence as targets for mass drug administration. We aimed to investigate the accuracy of simplified criteria in determining scabies prevalence, compared to the 2020 IACS criteria. Methods We obtained data relating to demographics, relevant history and skin lesions from all-age prevalence surveys from Fiji (n = 3365) and Solomon Islands (n = 5239), as well as school-aged children in Timor-Leste (n = 1043). We calculated prevalence using the 2020 IACS criteria and simplified criteria and compared these disease estimates. Results There was no significant difference in the pooled prevalence using the two methods (2020 IACS criteria: 16.6%; simplified criteria: 15.6%; difference = 0.9, [95% CI -0.1, 2.0]). In Timor-Leste, the prevalence using simplified criteria was lower (26.5% vs 33.8%). Simplified criteria had a sensitivity of 82.3% (95% CI 80.2, 84.2) and specificity of 97.6% (95% CI 97.2, 97.9) compared to the 2020 IACS criteria. Conclusions The scabies prevalence estimation using simplified criteria was similar to using the 2020 IACS criteria in high prevalence, tropical countries. The prevalence estimation was lower in the school-based survey in Timor-Leste. Mapping using simplified criteria may be a feasible and effective public health tool to identify priority regions for scabies control. Further work assessing use of simplified criteria for mapping in a field setting should be conducted.

Sweet potato virus G. [Distribution map].

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Sweet Potato ◽  
Potato Virus ◽  
Ipomoea Batatas ◽  
Solomon Islands ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Distribution Map ◽  
Timor Leste ◽  
Sweet Potato Virus ◽  
New Distribution

Abstract A new distribution map is provided for Sweet potato virus G. Potyviridae: Potyvirus. Host: sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas). Information is given on the geographical distribution in Africa (Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe), Asia (China, Guangxi, Hainan, Shandong, Sichuan, Indonesia, Japan, Korea Republic, Taiwan), Europe (Spain, Canary Islands), North America (Barbados, USA, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina), Oceania (French Polynesia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste), South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru).

Brontispa longissima. [Distribution map].

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
New Caledonia ◽  
Solomon Islands ◽  
Cocos Nucifera ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
American Samoa ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Ryukyu Islands ◽  
Distribution Map ◽  
Timor Leste ◽  
New Distribution

Abstract A new distribution map is provided for Brontispa longissima (Gestro). Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae. Hosts: coconut (Cocos nucifera). Information is given on the geographical distribution in Asia (Cambodia, China, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Yunnan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Java, Lesser Sunda Islands, North Maluku, Provinsi Papua, Sulawesi, Japan, Ryukyu Islands, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Maldives, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam), Oceania (American Samoa, Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, French Polynesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna).

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