Solomons MPs jet overseas for treatment while many citizens wait

Last year single mother Anna Bugotu noticed something wasn't right.

"If I wanted to exercise, I would notice that I get really exhausted quickly," she said.

When her symptoms worsened, a doctor diagnosed her with rheumatic heart disease, a condition requiring her to get life-saving surgery.

But the procedure wasn't available in Solomon Islands so, like many, she was forced to fundraise to pay for surgery overseas.

She needs nearly $35,000 but has so far only managed to raise $5,000.

Had she been a member of parliament, it might be a lot easier.

MPs and their immediate families have their own separate fund under parliamentary entitlements to travel overseas for medical care that cannot be provided locally.

Anna meanwhile, who works as a legal intern, is on a waiting list for the limited pool of public funding for overseas referrals.

However, an ABC investigation has raised questions about whether some MPs and government officials have received publicly funded care overseas worth thousands of Australian dollars when cheaper in-country treatment has been available.

Meanwhile, the amount spent on overseas health care for parliamentarians through an alternative fund in the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in 2025 exceeded the amount set aside for ordinary Solomon Islanders.

Limited health care, but not for some

Because health care in Solomon Islands can be limited, overseas travel is the only option for many suffering from serious conditions.

While public funding is available to send ordinary citizens abroad for treatment, Anna, 30, has not yet qualified.

She said she was told her age and the severity of her condition meant she would not be prioritised.

MPs, along with their immediate families, are also eligible for funding for overseas treatment under changes to the parliamentary entitlements regulations made in 2020.

Under the regulations, funding through the parliament is granted so long as treatment is "essential", "treatable" and "not available in Solomon Islands".

They must also be referred by a committee of specialist doctors employed by the country's Ministry of Health.

But sources and documents suggest in the five years prior to 2026, some MPs have received publicly funded overseas care despite doctors initially recommending in-country treatment.

One source told the ABC that ministry doctors advised an MP to focus on reducing "risk factors in-country", but the MP wanted "a second opinion and treatment abroad".

The referral was ultimately approved.

Meanwhile, multiple whistleblowers say in the past some doctors have felt pressured by politicians receiving overseas medical services to approve referrals or sign off after the treatment has already happened.

The ABC also saw evidence for three cases in which MPs sought overseas treatment first and approval from the committee afterwards.

One lists nearly $27,000 in bills, marked "Solomon Islands government to pay".

The committee's doctors are employed by the government, which sources say leaves them vulnerable to political pressure.

Titus Nasi is the supervising medical superintendent at the National Referral Hospital and has chaired the Overseas Referral Committee since last year, since the cases examined by the ABC were approved.

"Sometimes [it] will be challenging to stand up to somebody higher who probably influences what you are doing in the system," Dr Nasi said.

He said while he had not witnessed inappropriate claims by MPs in his time as chair, it might have happened in the past.

"They meet challenges with funding and then they come back to the committee to seek funding support, which is not as according to the policy," he said.

"It's not probably the best way to do it, in terms of being accountable for what we are doing."

Pressure for prioritisation

There is also evidence that some elite or well-connected patients have accessed a separate pool of public money intended to help ordinary Solomon Islanders, like Anna, who need overseas medical treatment.

While all Solomon Islanders requiring emergency medical care are eligible for this funding, doctors in these cases have recorded experiencing pressure from high-profile families to prioritise their loved ones ahead of others.

Documents suggest two of these families received more than $180,000 between them.

One document said treatment began "following continuous pressure from the family", while another described a separate family as having an "expectation" of funding.

While Dr Nasi said he had felt no pressure from either MPs or senior officials since taking over as chair, according to parliament officials, no MP referrals have been lodged with the Overseas Referral Committee since 2024.

Instead, they have come through a different scheme, approved and paid directly through the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

"We were not really involved, in terms of referral [under the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet scheme], so I can't really comment on how it's been done," Dr Nasi said.

In 2025, the Prime Minister's Office spent about $1.5 million on overseas health care for MPs.

That's compared with just $1.2 million set aside for overseas treatment for ordinary Solomon Islanders.

Evidence suggests this channel had been in use prior to 2024.

Solomon Islands Attorney-General Gabriel Suri said it was a legal alternative to funding through the parliamentary entitlements regulations.

"We have two systems for MPs to use," he said.

"Maybe they find the system in the Prime Minister's Office much more efficient to them, than the one available under the control of the parliament."

'Very unacceptable'

After being questioned by the ABC, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale acknowledged there were risks in the system.

"I'm not saying it was in the past, but it could be politicised," he said.

He said that from next year, all funding would be channelled through the Parliamentary Entitlements Commission, which operates under stricter legal requirements.

Ruth Liloqula, the head of advocacy group Transparency Solomon Islands, said funding outside the parliamentary entitlements regulations raised serious questions.

"They can just use it for anything that they want to use [it for]," she said.

Speaking generally, she said she worried public servants were vulnerable to pressure and reluctant to speak out for fear of losing their jobs.

She said if guardrails could be amended and enforced, more money could be spent on improving the health system so more Solomon Islanders had access to overseas care.

"We are not saying that [MPs] should not have services, but … they should make sure whatever services they want are as good as those provided to the people of Solomon Islands," she said.

Dr Nasi agreed, saying public healthcare funding was insufficient to meet the needs of Solomon Islands' population.

"It's what we all want, being fair with everyone," he said.

As for Anna, all she wants is to be treated fairly.

"[My condition] is already severe," she said.

"I miss … just walk[ing] freely without having to rest every single step.

"The ordinary citizens should also be given the opportunity to have access to those medical services."