RSIPF officers at the SI-PNG common border trained on how to use PPE

Officers of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) deployed to the common border between Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea have undergone training on how to use Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) at the Kulitanai Police Station by members of the Solomon Islands Medical Assistance Team (SOLMAT) on 17 May 2020.

During his presentation, Mr John Sa’ohu, a Clinical Nurse Consultant, of the Infection Prevention and Control Unit in the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) talked about three different levels of PPEs and how to wash your hands to prevent the COVID-19.
Mr Sa’ohu explained: “Be careful when you use PPEs. It is advisable for police officers to use level one and two only. Level three is only used when there is a positive case of the coronavirus and only medical officers use it but again it depends on the situation police officers are in.”

RSIPF officers also joined the SOLMAT officers to do a demonstration on how to wash hands thoroughly if officers handle any suspected case of COVID-19 at the border in a scenario where the police officers are the first responders.

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

Commander of the Police Forward Command Post (PFCP) at the Kulitanai Police Station, in the Shortlands, Western Province Inspector Wilken Miriki says, “We really appreciate members of SOLMAT for the training for police. It will help us to have some knowledge should there be a positive case in our country.”