By ELIZABETH MIAE
THE Patu health centre on the South Coast of Manus Island is in dire need of medical equipment and maintenance to its facilities.
The church-run health centre that was built in 1958 serves more than 10,000 people from Patu, Bunai and Likum islands with only three staff members.
The sister-in-charge, Sr Cathy Bulu recalled several talks being held with health authorities back in 1994 under the unified health system to have the health centre maintained but nothing had been done to date.
She said even though there was another health center situated at the neighbouring island, people still come to Patu for treatment.
She told The National how she used an ordinary pot to boil operation instruments to sterilise before using them again.
The labour ward has with only one bed to cater for a woman about to deliver and the postnatal ward has only three beds.
Facilities in the outpatient area are also run down including the patients’ beds.
She said: “We have the knowledge to work on the patients but lack medical equipment and facilities.”
She added that for them to receive such assistance it would take some months and years as the health centre is under the Kavieng Archdiocese.
The health centre’s only means of communication is through the HF radio in times of emergency.
Patients who were referred to the hospital in Manus have to be transported by boat for two hours to the nearest dock where they would be transported again by an ambulance that would take another 30 minutes to travel into town.
Medical supplies are ordered from the Lae Base Medical store, however, in times of natural or manmade disasters, supplies would take time to reach the health centre.
The health center was visited recently by the Minister for National Planning & Rural Development Paul Tiensten, who was in the province on a fact finding mission as part of his plans to visit the country’s underdeveloped districts.