Maternal health boost: Australia officially handed over the AUD$45m Naha Birthing and Urban Health Centre in Honiara, aiming to strengthen 24/7 birthing services and ease pressure on existing facilities. Rural health workforce support: MP Rick Hou handed over a CDF-funded Tarapaina Clinic staff house (SBD90,000), meant to help retain nurses and improve access for a catchment of 4,000+. Health training and support roles: Solomon Islands National University (SINU) is consulting stakeholders on the first nationally accredited postgraduate diploma in chaplaincy, highlighting demand for trained chaplains to support pastoral care in hospitals, schools and prisons. Disaster-ready wellbeing: Pacific advocates at Fiji’s “Let’s Talk Periods!” festival stressed that menstrual health must be built into cyclone and earthquake preparedness, since “biology does not pause.” Ocean health governance: WCS and the Makira-Ulawa Provincial Government signed an MoU to strengthen marine spatial planning, fisheries management and marine protected areas—supporting healthier ecosystems and livelihoods. Independence-linked diplomacy: India’s foreign minister extended Independence Day greetings and noted a dialysis machine gift to the National Referral Hospital in Feb 2025.