CARE pledges a 15 percent pay increase for gov’t employees and improve health service delivery

By Fredrick Kusu

The Coalition for Accountability Reform and Empowerment (CARE) has pledged a 15 percent pay increase for government employees and improved health service delivery in Solomon islands.

CARE is a party coalition formed under the Political Parties Integrity Act 2014 between the Solomon Islands Democratic Party (SIDP) led by the former leader of opposition Matthew Wale and Democratic Alliance Party (DAP) led by Rick Houenipwela, former member of parliament for small Malaita.

At the launching of its policy today, SIDP wing leader Mr Wale pledged the 15 percent pay increase for all government employees and improved the delivery of health services if it could form the next coalition government in the 12th parliament.

On pay increase the coalition aims to unify the public service structure so that government employees are in the same pay structure.

“ Because the people of Solomon Islands are the number one priority, a CARE government will award a 15 percent increase to all government employees, after making the public service pay structure truly unified, so that police, health workers and teachers are in the same structure as public servants,” Mr Wale said.

The coalition believed that unifying the public service pay structure will reduce the cost of living and will result in high performance, productivity and integrity in the delivery of government services.

Among other priorities pledged is the improvement of the delivery of health services and one is addressing the shortage of medicines in health facilities.

The SIDP wing leader said the coalition will ensure medicines are more than 100 percent available at the country’s medical store. This is to ensure medicines are available in all health facilities across the country.

“ It is not right for basic medicines to ever be below 100 percent in our healthcare system at any time. It is unacceptable. A CARE government will ensure no more patient has to sleep on the floor of the Emergency Department at the National Referral Hospital (NRH),” he said.

The coalition also pledged to immediately create additional beds at the NRH to avoid patients lying on the floor and reduce patient referrals at the NRH by resourcing provincial hospitals with the required number of health professionals.

The coalition also urges the people of Solomon Islands to vote wisely in the upcoming elections.

Meanwhile Solomon Islands is set to go to the polls in April this year and political parties are now launching their manifestos and policies ahead of the joint elections.

The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties earlier confirmed that a total of 13 political parties have been registered so far that could contest the upcoming joint elections.

The Governor General is expected to announce the date of the 2024 joint elections next week.

This year’s joint elections will be the first for the country since independence.

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