The National Referral Hospital (NRH) Oncology Unit proudly hosted a fifth visiting clinical oncology team from Canberra Hospital, Australia, from October 6 to 10, 2025, as part of the ongoing project to enhance cancer care services in the Solomon Islands which started with an initial scoping visit in 2016.
Led by Professor Desmond Yip (Medical Oncologist) accompanied by Dr. Nalini Pati (Clinical Haematologist), Beth Hua (Oncology Pharmacist), Wendy Spencer (Oncology Nurse Consultant), Kelly Ford (Clinical Development Nurse) and Ben Felmingham (Paediatric Oncology Pharmacist), the week-long program focused on clinical education, collaborative patient care, and strategic planning to strengthen NRH’s oncology capabilities. This mission marks another important milestone in strengthening cancer care services in the Solomon Islands through clinical training, knowledge sharing, and improved treatment protocols.
The team conducted intensive clinical education and delivered practical sessions on topics including:
- Clinical workflow documentation practices, and education on symptom management and venous access devices.
- Outpatient clinics in haematology and medical oncology, providing hands-on training and patient consultations.
- Specialist sessions on breast cancer treatment, endocrine and HER-2 therapies, and resource-adapted guidelines.
- Cancer emergency management, survivorship care, cachexia and nutrition, and pharmacology of supportive care medication in palliative settings.
- Practical workshops on cytotoxic medication handling
- The mission concluded with a debriefing session attended by the NRH Management including the Medical Superintendent, Heads of Departments, and representatives from the Australian High Commission Health Team and Solomon Islands Australia Partnership for Health Representative. Discussions focused on consolidating lessons from the visit and identifying future areas of collaboration to strengthen the oncology service.
Speaking during the debriefing session, Professor Desmond Yip said, “this visit reflects our shared commitment to improving cancer care in the Solomon Islands. We are proud to work alongside Solomon Islands clinicians who show strong dedication to their patients and to advancing oncology services in this country, which now spans the continuum from early detection, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, palliative care as well as survivorship.”
The Medical Superintendent, Dr. Titus Nasi, representing the NRH management expressed appreciation to the visiting team, noting that the partnership has “significantly built local capacity in oncology care and provided hope to many patients and families affected by cancer.”
The NRH Oncology Unit has grown from strength to strength since establishment in 2018 and is led by Dr. Andrew Soma, the nation’s first oncologist who is supported by 6 cancer nurses and 4 registrars. This long -term and ongoing collaboration between NRH and the Canberra Hospital, supported by the John James Foundation and the Australian Government aims to save lives and give hope by building effective and sustainable cancer services in the Solomon Islands.
– AHC
Photo caption: From right to left in front are Dr. Titus Nasi (Medical Superintendent), Prof. Desmond Yip (Team Leader), Dr. Andrew Soma (Head of NRH Oncology Unit) and Zina Fefera (DFAT Senior Health Advisor)
