RSIPF officers deployed to western border undergo health check for NCDs

Officers of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) deployed to the common border between Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea have undergone basic health checks for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) at the Kulitanai Police Station conducted by Solomon Islands Medical Assistance Team (SOLMAT) on 17 May 2020.

SOLMAT has been tasked to conduct awareness in the communities in the Shortland Islands as part of the Solomon Islands Government preparations to prevent any coronavirus (COVID-19) cases coming through the common border with Papua New Guinea (PNG). PNG has already recorded positive cases of the COVID-19.

Other stakeholders who are at the western border to set up the communication system in the Shortland Islands were also given the chance to check their health status.

Commander of the Police Forward Command Post (PFCP) at the Kulitanai Police Station, in the Shortlands, Western Province Inspector Wilken Miriki says, “It is a chance for our police officers to do the health check for free which would otherwise cost a lot of money to consult with private health clinics.”

“It is very important for us police to know our health status before being deployed to our duties. A healthy person can make good and smart decisions during a tense situation at the frontline. RSIPF is a disciplined organisation and we need to cope with required standards as a police officer to carry on with our duties.”

The SOLMAT Team will also travel to Kariki, Harapa and Mono to do the same health check of police officers on the ground in the coming days. Inspector Miriki thanked SOLMAT for conducting the health check for police officers deployed to the western border.