NEWSPAGE 30 October
2013

(Photo: Duco Events)

SAMOA: EPC closes its Vaitele 24 hrs cash power service
Source: EPC Press Release

The Electric Power Corporation in partnership with National Bank of Samoa successfully developed adequate outlets for its Prepaid Meters.

With customers now having adequate access to these vending outlets, EPC decided to close its office at Vaitele that used to provide this service after hours and weekends.

This is one of several strategies EPC is working on to improve its services to its consumers and reduce operating costs and risks.

Prepaid Power vending service is still available from our offices at Sogi, Vaitele and Salelologa on
weekdays from 9am to 4pm.

NBS is also opening its KIOSK across from McDonalds from 8:30am - 10:30pm Sunday to Thursday and then from 8:30am Friday through to Sunday 10:30pm.

A list of vendors selling cash power around Upolu and Savaii is available from our EPC Offices at Sogi, Vaitele and Salelologa.
 

(Photo: AusAID)

AUSTRALIA: Australia gifts new laptop for Faa’tino

On the eve of her trip to South Korea, Faa’tino Masunu Utumapuhas received a new laptop from the Australia High Commission. The new laptop will make her job as Office Manager at Nuanua o le Alofa (NOLA) much easier.Faa’tino will travel to South Korea as part of a Pacific disability delegation this weekend but urgently needed a new computer. The timing could not be better.

“I am grateful for the continuous kind support from Australia”, said Faa’tino. “This new computer will help my work greatly to assist the disabled in Samoa”.

The Australian Government supports the participation of people with disability in economic, social and political life to reduce poverty, increase economic growth and enhance democratic governance.Inclusive Development Program Manager, Ronicera Fuimaono said “NOLA is the only Disabled Persons Operation in Samoa and are central to key decision-making and implementation of activities to their members”.

Photo 1 - THANK YOU: Ronicera Fuimaono from the Australian High Commission hands Faa’tinoa new laptop on the eve of her trip to South Korea.

Photo 2 - HANDS ON: Faa’tino checks the new equipment which will make her job at NOLA much easier.
 

NAURU: Amnesty says refugees are being detained arbitrarily in Nauru
Source: Radio New Zealand International

Amnesty International has accused the Australian government of arbitrarily detaining refugees in Nauru.

Amnesty’s refugee spokesperson, Graeme McGregor, says asylum seekers who were recognised as refugees at the Nauru processing centre months ago are still being held.

Mr McGregor says the reason why they have not been released is uncertain, as is the number of refugees concerned.

He says this undermines the whole process of having asylum seekers processed in the first place.

“The Australian government throughout this process, whether it’s the current coalition government or the previous Labor government, has always tried to maintain that detention of aslyum seekers is only being carried out while they’re being processed and while that assessment of their refugee status is being carried out. And really, issues like this really just demonstrate that that’s simply not the case.”

Graeme McGregor says Nauru never agreed to re-settle the refugees, and Australia’s policies do not allow them to be settled there - so they refugees have been left in limbo.
 

(Photo: Scoop)

TONGA: Tongan’s Poor Eye Sight Economic Burden for Next Generation
Source: Pacific Media Centre Press Release via Scoop
 
Tongan’s Poor Eye Sight Economic Burden for Next Generation - NZ Expert

An Auckland ophthalmologist warns the eye conditions of many older Tongans are placing a burden on the local youth, as they care for their relatives who are unable to work.

Dr Brent Gaskin, of Auckland Eye, says young Tongans are under pressure as they support family members whose impaired vision or blindness limits their ability to live independently.

“This can place a great demand on young people both economically and emotionally, as they spend time looking after older relatives who can’t see. The eye problems of the older generation can have a significant impact on the whole family’s quality of life,” he says.

Dr Gaskin is part of one of several eye specialist groups who visit the island nation annually. His group performs up to 100 eye surgeries, and conducts up to 800 eye checks in Tonga each year.

He says impaired vision among the local people in Tonga can be particularly detrimental to society given their lifestyles.

“Manual work is extremely common in island countries like Tonga, so locals’ vision is fundamentally important to ensure their financial stability. Also, with many working outdoors, the glare of the sun in Tonga’s warm climate can cause big issues for those with cataracts,” he says.

Dr Gaskin says a significant number of the country’s small population suffer from eye problems that cannot be treated by local health professionals due to a lack of adequate training.

“Hopefully with time, local eye care professionals will up skill and take on the delivery of more of the surgical treatment needed. In the mean time, like many nations in the pacific, Tonga relies on help from trained specialists from overseas,” he says.

“Many patients in Tonga will have visual impairment far beyond what we typically see at home in New Zealand, and some will have waited months for treatment, as prioritisation means only the severely impaired are treated. This would be rare in most developed countries, due to modern demands like driving, and also the relative ease of access to top quality eye care.”

Dr Gaskin says while older Kiwis often develop eye conditions such as cataracts beyond the retirement age, Tongans tend to develop such eye problems earlier.

“I would think 90% of those we operate on when we visit Tonga are over the age of 45, with children and young adults making up only 10% of those we see. In New Zealand, problems like cataracts tend to occur over the age of 60, however Tongan patients experience such conditions when they are often much younger,” he says.

Dr Gaskin says during his trips to Tonga he and his team-of-four may perform up to 100 cataract surgeries and 100 laser procedures.

He says the prevalence of diabetes in the island nation is a significant issue underlying the incidence of eye problems suffered locally.

Dr Gaskin will make his fifth trip to Tonga through the international charity VOSO (Volunteer Ophthalmic Services Overseas) this month.

He says the annual trip is an important contribution to global eye health.

“It is a rewarding experience to be spread your skills around, and it makes sense to begin by helping those closest to home,” he says.

“There are hundreds of Tongans who need our assistance in our own backyard each year, and it is a pleasure to be able to use my knowledge and expertise to improve their quality of life.

Photo: Dr Brent Gaskin.
 

AROUND THE WORLD: Disaster risk management - You can’t improve what you don’t measure
Source: SPC Press Release

Once a disaster starts to unfold, it is too late to start looking for the information needed to manage it. This truism has been discussed for the past decade and remains relevant today for the disaster management business.

According to Jotham Napat, Director of the Vanuatu Meteorological and Geohazards Department, ‘Strengthening our IT system and developing a disaster loss database will assist our efforts in disaster risk reduction.’

Disasters strike as floods, cyclones, tsunamis, landslides, earthquakes, droughts or other intense natural phenomena or emergencies that threaten or destroy lives and property. Speed in saving and sustaining lives and re-establishing essential services and livelihoods depends on the information at hand to manage the risks.

From guiding relief efforts to assessing risks of future disasters or tracking loss patterns and trends, disaster risk management needs damage and loss data and information. The Pacific now has a regional disaster loss database managed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s (SPC) Applied Geosciences and Technology (SOPAC) Division.

This database aims to provide useful information on various parameters of disaster impacts, including national and sub-national data and analysis, where available. Effective disaster information management is a vital component of preparedness and prevention, and in turn of reducing damage and loss.

Key benefits of a validated Pacific disaster loss database include the opportunity to analyse and identify disaster risk patterns and build risk knowledge about disaster-prone areas, hazards and vulnerability. At a minimum, the database links standard and customised variables for loss of life and financial costs, including damage to infrastructure, to guide policies and monitoring of initiatives that improve decision-making and priority setting.

To strengthen understanding of damage and loss in the Pacific region, SPC’s Disaster Reduction Programme is facilitating a workshop on 28 and 29 October 2013. The aim is to explore data and information sharing opportunities to optimise disaster risk management planning.

The workshop will cover systematic collection, quality and consistency of data, information flows before, during and after disasters, and links between databases and projects. Outcomes are expected to strengthen the evidence base and improve the ability of key agencies to manage the information underpinning improved disaster risk management in the region.