The population of Makira province is growing rapidly because of a very high birth rate. Each woman usually has an average of 6 children with a very high teenage pregnancy rate. There are efforts by the Health Service to encourage women after their 4th child to consider having a tubal ligation or for their husbands to have a vasectomy. There are also efforts to try and provide better sec education for the young girls to try and reduce the number of teenage pregnancies. There is still much to be done to try to help the people of Makira province make progress towards the Millennium Goals for Maternal and Child Health. Recently, a grant from AusAide allowed for completion of an eye clinic facility at the hospital. It was opened by Mr Andrew Byrnes, the Australian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, on 28 February 2014.