Health services in Solomon Islands

Abstract

Solomon Islands has achieved major improvements in health status during the past two decades. Infant mortality rates dropped from 70 deaths per 1,000 live births in the 1970s to 44 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1992. Still, major challenges lie ahead. Infectious and parasitic diseases, including malaria, continue to dominate the morbidity and mortality picture. Non-communicable or ?lifestyle? diseases are on the rise and the population is growing at very high rates. The health care system is under significant pressure to deliver services to a growing population in the face of a diverse disease profile under economically constrained conditions. Meeting these challenges will require significant changes in the structure, focus and financing of health services.