The Solomon Islands Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and key national stakeholders, has taken decisive action to strengthen the country’s health security systems through a landmark initiative aimed at enhancing the early detection of and rapid response to health threats.
Participants from across government ministries, health agencies, and international partners gathered for the three-day workshop titled “Strengthening Collaborative Surveillance for Health Emergency Preparedness in Solomon Islands” to chart a path toward coordinated surveillance and faster response across all sectors.
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Participants from across government ministries, health agencies, and international partners gathered for the three-day workshop titled “Strengthening Collaborative Surveillance for Health Emergency Preparedness in Solomon Islands” to chart a path toward coordinated surveillance and faster response across all sectors.
The complex challenges highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies emphasize the need to rethink approaches to surveillance, while building upon the momentum of recent substantive investments in public health capacity. Photo: WHO / Ruel Serrano
What is collaborative surveillance?
Collaborative surveillance is the systematic strengthening of capacity and collaboration among diverse stakeholders, both within and beyond the health sector, with the ultimate goal of enhancing public health intelligence and improving evidence for decision-making.
The complex challenges highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies emphasize the need to rethink approaches to surveillance, while building upon the momentum of recent substantive investments in public health capacity.
“Collaborative surveillance means to move from fragmented approaches to a unified, coordinated multi-sectoral system that leverage data sources, stakeholders and expertise. An approach that enables timely detection, informed decision-making, and rapid response moving forward,” said Mrs Pauline McNeil, Permanent Secretary for Health, MHMS.
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The collaborative surveillance initiative aligns with WHO’s global Health Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Resilience (HEPR) framework and advances the country’s commitments under the International Health Regulations (2005). Photo: WHO / Ruel Serrano
The recent Joint External Evaluation (JEE 2024) and State Party Annual Report (SPAR 2024) highlight the urgent need for integrated, real-time surveillance to detect and contain health threats before they spread. This is vital for Solomon Islands, where dispersed populations and climate vulnerabilities demand timely, robust, and connected public health responses.
A pivotal step in surveillance
The workshop marks a pivotal step in building a multi-sectoral surveillance coordination framework that integrates data from human, animal, and environmental health, embodying the One Health approach. Participants went through a simulation exercise, developed joint surveillance priorities, mapped existing systems, and established coordination mechanisms to enhance early detection and rapid response to emerging threats, including zoonotic diseases.
Immediate outcomes from the workshop include:
• Comprehensive mapping of existing disease surveillance systems in the Solomon Islands;
• Strengthening the Early Warning, Alert and Response System (EWARS); and
• Agreeing on the stakeholders involvement to develop a collaborative surveillance roadmap.
Longer-term goals focus on integrating surveillance data sharing protocols among human, animal, and environmental sectors, establishing a functional weekly epidemiological bulletin, improving laboratory surveillance network integration, developing a roadmap with clear milestones and strengthening the national health security architecture, with enhanced compliance with International Health Regulations (IHR).
Dr Howard Sobel, WHO Representative in Solomon Islands emphasized: “Collaborative surveillance represents a fundamental paradigm shift from fragmented, sector-specific approaches to integrated, multi-sectoral systems that leverage diverse data sources, stakeholders, and expertise. This approach recognizes that effective early warning and rapid response depend on the coordination and complementarity of multiple systems working in harmony.”
The collaborative surveillance initiative aligns with WHO’s global Health Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Resilience (HEPR) framework and advances the country’s commitments under the International Health Regulations (2005).
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Dr Jackson Rakei, Director for HIV, STI and viral hepatitis at the MHMS said, "Surveillance is key. Without data, you’re going in blindly. With the data, we know where to mobilize our resources and, in turn, have outcomes.” Photo: WHO / Ruel Serrano
Mr Robert Palmer, Principal Livestock Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, said that the event brings a lot of value into his work. “For all of the sectors in Solomon Islands, it’s good for us to collaborate,integrate, and share information regarding surveillance that we have. That’s a good message for us to work together as we aim to integrate all these systems so we can have a fair idea to move our country forward.”
For Dr Jackson Rakei, Director for HIV, STI and viral hepatitis at the MHMS said the workshop needs to be done regularly. “I’ve been to many conferences abroad, which emphasize surveillance, data, monitoring, reporting, and all this. And then I see there is a real need for us to have this annually, just to get us refreshed, get things working with regards to surveillance,” said Dr Rakei. “Surveillance is key,” adds Dr Rakei. “Without data, you’re going in blindly. With the data, we know where to mobilize our resources and, in turn, have outcomes.”
As health emergencies become more frequent and complex, collaborative surveillance stands as Solomon Islands’ frontline defense—turning data into action, and coordination into resilience.