The XVII Pacific Games was held in Honiara, Solomon Islands in 2023 and was attended by competitors from 24 Pacific nations. The National Referral Hospital (NRH) is the sole tertiary hospital and largest emergency department (ED) in the Solomon Islands, located in the capital city, Honiara, and was the designated referral hospital for the Pacific Games.

This report documents the lessons learnt from supporting a large international sporting event within a resource-limited health setting, and may help other EDs prepare for similar planned mass gatherings.

Planned mass gathering events can provide opportunities for EDs to increase workforce capacity and strengthen systems, but proper preparedness is required to minimise additional strain on already busy departments.