Minister for Health, Doctor Ifereimi Waqainabete says just as they have a layered response to COVID-19, there can be a similar approach to prevent violence against women and girls and adds it is something to be ashamed about that women are coming to hospitals with broken bones.
Doctor Waqainabete made these comments during consultations for a National Action Plan to prevent violence against women and girls at Grand Pacific Hotel where he says that to have a layered approach, they need to map out what the stakeholders are doing.
He says once they have it mapped out, they can then finds the gaps and develop an approach to prevent violence against women and girls.
The Minister has today made a commitment that all 220 health facilities is a place of refuge and if a woman feels like she has nowhere to run then they are more than welcome at the health facilities.
Doctor Waqainabete says that as a doctor, he has seen many women coming to the hospital with broken hand, broken ribs, ruptured liver, heads crushed in and it is something to be absolutely ashamed of.
The Minister stressed that women and girls need to be protected because the future of our nation and the future of the Ministry of Health are women as 67% of their staff are women.
