‘Lano did not effect Western cholera plan’

WESTERN Chamber of Commerce and Industry yesterday slammed Daru General Hospital chief executive officer Dr Amos Lano for not implementing the provincial cholera plan since June.
Acting president Warren Dutton said the plan had been agreed to at the June meeting involving representatives from the Catholic and Evangelical churches health agencies, Ok Tedi Mining Ltd (OTML), police, Defence Force, local level governments, provincial administration and the chamber but Lano had been sitting on it since then.
“The ‘Western pro-vince cholera plan’, if it was ever completed, has not been implemented despite the fact that Dr Amos Lano is reported on the front page of The National newspaper, as saying that the outbreak was first reported on the island on Oct 5,” he said.
“Surely he should have at least immediately have advised Governor Dr Bob Danaya, who is himself a medical practitioner of many years experience, of the fact that there was a cholera outbreak in the capital of Western.
“Surely the Health Department should have long since have been asked to come to the assistance of the threatened people of Western.”
Dutton said that shortly before noon on Monday, the business community and the missions of Kiunga were advised by the Kiunga General Hospital CEO, Sr Rosemary Joseph, that 10 people had died in Daru from a suspected outbreak of cholera. 
“At 5pm, representatives of the Montfort Catholic Mission, OTML, Horizon Oil Ltd, Western Province Constructions Ltd and others met to be briefed by Sr Joseph on the precautions required to protect the citizens of Kiunga town and all the villages in close proximity from contracting the disease,” he said.
“As a result of this advice, one of the guest houses now requires all its staff and all guests and visitors to disinfect their shoes and their hands before they enter.
 “Up until now, there has been no notification from any other of the health or other authorities responsible for the health and safety of the people of Western, advising of the imminent danger of cholera being introduced to Kiunga and Tabubil
on the direct aircraft flights from Daru,” Dutton said.