JID is helping the Solomon Islands to develop a national hospital fit for the future

The National Referral Hospital (NRH) is the Solomon Island’s largest hospital, and is the only tertiary level hospital in the country. It services a catchment of 100,000 people. Established in World War II, it has developed without a holistic plan. This ad-hoc development of the NRH has caused significant service issues, resulting in service delivery delays to patients, mass overcrowding and inefficient lengths of stays.

The current hospital site sits on the Honiara coastline, and is susceptible to tidal flooding, tsunamis and storm surges. Its location means is it also vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by climate change. Significant rain events have flooded the hospital in the past, resulting in reduced care, structural and fittings damage and ongoing susceptibility to environmental challenges.

A sustainable healthcare sector maximises existing assets and strengths, while integrating improvements evidenced through global best practice. JID is working with the Solomon Islands Government to develop an investment logic and business case for the relocation and redevelopment of the National Referral Hospital in Honiara.

Supported by the Asian Development Bank, JID analysed the current and future service delivery models, whole-of-life costs, infrastructure, social and environmental factors to develop fit for purpose, sustainable and appropriate options that will:

• improve safety and functionality of existing infrastructure
• address critical maintenance issues
• improve service quality and capacity into the future.

Fit-for-purpose, sustainable health infrastructure

JID was contracted to provide a comprehensive business case for the Solomon Islands Government to assess the viable investment options for Urban Health System Reform, including the phased relocation of the National Referral Hospital (NRH). This involved the preparation of several pre-feasibility study assessments, such as an environmental impact analysis, project costing and devising safeguard assessments for each of the proposed development phases.

The business case addressed the significant population growth expected in Honiara and Guadalcanal Province and the impact of climate change on the current facility. It included planning for the Pacific Games, clinic expansion and reform, and the relocation and modernisation of the NRH. The Business Case presented the economic, social and commercial viability of the multiple projects and recommended strategies for engaging with financers, development partners and commercial partners.

Stakeholder engagement

JID’s engagement throughout the project has relied on consideration of stakeholder interests, particularly where the interests of multiple stakeholders intersect. Our industry-leading experience in end-to-end project management and finding client-focused solutions has been a major asset to the project. Our involvement in the NRH redevelopment displays not only our commitment to improving living standards in the Pacific region through quality health infrastructure, but also a commitment to developing resilient infrastructure that meets the evolving ecological needs of vulnerable communities.

Climate change and disaster resilience

Climate and disaster resiliency are key features of JID’s social and economic infrastructure projects and the impact of climate change was central to the plan to relocate the Solomon Islands National Referral Hospital. We engaged engineering experts who considered the predicted ground water levels above against current sea water levels, ensuring that any proposed location would not be destroyed within the next 10-30 years due to climate changes. JID proposed a staged solution, where the services are to be progressively relocated or made reliant on the projected impact of climate change based on rising sea level and flood modelling, the impact of population growth and the adverse consequences of community relocation.