Martin Magga (November 11, 1953 – August 25, 2014) was a member of the
National Parliament of the Solomon Islands, representing the
Temotu Pele constituency. He served as the
Solomon Islands' Minister of Lands, Housing and Survey in Prime Minister
's
Cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
until May 2009, when he was transferred to the position of Minister for Health and Medical Services.
As Minister for Health, he announced that the government was implementing "a Sector Wide Approach (SWA) for the health sector": "The Sector Wide Approach brings together Government, donors and implementing partners under the leadership of Ministry of Health and Medical Services
..in a more harmonised, integrated and coordinated effort to support the National Health Strategic Plan." The "main objectives" of this approach were "to raise quality and accessibility of health services and improve financial sustainability and the management of the health system".
Magga had also served as Minister for Justice in 2007, and was Acting Minister for Agriculture and Livestock for a time in 2008.
In May 2009, mere days after his appointment as Health Minister, and while returning from the
World Health Assembly in
Geneva, Magga "suddenly developed medical problems". He was hospitalised in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. The media reported that he had undergone "urgent surgery" and that he was in "critical condition".
In June, he was "relieved of his ministerial duties on medical grounds" and replaced by
Clay Forau Soalaoi
Clay Forau Soalaoi, more commonly referred to as Clay Forau, (born 10 October 1976) is a Solomon Islands politician.
He was first elected to Parliament, representing the Temotu Vatud constituency, at the 2006 general election, in April. From 2 ...
. The ''Solomon Star'' reported Australian doctors as saying that Magga would "not be able to function as he previously did, either as minister or as member of parliament", due to "a series of complications during and after surgery". He remained on
life support
Life support comprises the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform basic ...
but reportedly showed "slight improvement".
He was, nonetheless, successfully returned to Parliament in the
August 2010 general election, though he was not given a Cabinet position. He used a wheelchair from then on. In April 2012, it was reported that constituents had visited him twice to ask him to resign due to his health.
"AG clears Maga's case"
, ''Solomon Star'', 19 April 2012 He died two years later, while still serving as an MP.["Temotu Pele MP Dies"](_blank)
, ''Islands Business'', 27 August 2014
References
External links
Member page at Parliament website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magga, Martin
1953 births
2014 deaths
Health ministers of the Solomon Islands
Housing ministers of the Solomon Islands
Members of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands people with disabilities
People from Temotu Province
Wheelchair users