Eight 23-foot boats with 60-horsepower Yamaha outboard motors, five fully equipped ambulances and four Landcruiser vehicles have been handed to the Ministry of Health and Medical Services by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the ministry said.

The ministry said the assets came under KOICA's Maternal and Newborn Health Project, which aims to give mothers and newborns in rural and remote communities better access to health services. Two more boats and outboard motors are to come later.

KOICA Fiji Office Country Director Ms Han Kyul Sam Cho said the project carries a total investment of USD 7 million and focuses on referral systems for high-risk pregnancies, training for healthcare professionals, and sanitation and infection prevention in health facilities. She thanked the ministry, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) for their partnership, and said the boats, ambulances and vehicles would help communities reach care more quickly and safely.

Receiving the assets for the government, Minister for Health and Medical Services Hon Morris Toiraena thanked the Government and people of the Republic of Korea, and said the country's geography made health services hard to deliver, with travel to a health facility often costly for patients. "When a pregnant woman experiences complication, every minute matters", he said.

Minister Toiraena said the ambulances would strengthen emergency and maternal referral services, while the boats would carry patients and health workers between islands more quickly and safely. The Landcruiser vehicles would support outreach programmes, provincial supervision and the delivery of essential medical supplies, he said, adding that the support contributed to the National Health Strategic Plan 2022-2031 and to the policy priorities of the GREAT Coalition Government.

He also thanked UNOPS for procuring and delivering the assets and WHO for technical support, and urged health personnel and responsible officers to use and maintain the assets properly.

Source: Based on a statement by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services published on the Solomon Islands Government portal on 10 November 2026. https://solomons.gov.sb/koica-donates-boats-ambulances-and-vehicles-to-strengthen-maternal-and-newborn-health-services-in-solomon-islands/