Martin Magga (November 11, 1953 – August 25, 2014) was a member of the

National Parliament of the Solomon Islands The National Parliament of the Solomon Islands is the legislature of the Solomon Islands. Its 50 members are elected for a four-year term in 50 single-seat constituencies.

, representing the Temotu Pele constituency. He served as the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

' Minister of Lands, Housing and Survey in Prime Minister

Derek Sikua David Derek Sikua (born 10 October 1959Sikua CV at Parliament website ...

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 * Filin ...

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 The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the forum through which the World Health Organization (WHO) is governed by its 194 World Health Organization#Membership, member states. It is the world's highest health policy setting body and is composed of h ...

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, Magga "suddenly developed medical problems". He was hospitalised in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. 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 ...

. 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 bas ...

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"
, ''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