50 babies a day highest in Pacific

By Glenda Awikiak
THE number of women giving birth daily at the Port Moresby General Hospital labour ward is around 50 – the highest in the Pacific, says hospital chief executive Umesh Gupta.
He attributed that to the lack of family planning awareness and because the hospital was the only one in the city with a labour ward.
Gupta told The National the hospital’s labour ward was “the biggest anywhere in the world”.
“PMGH is the only public hospital in the capital city that has a labour ward. Therefore patients all over the city and Central province access our labour ward for delivery,” he said.
“Family planning is lacking in the city and the number of live births is too much – over 50 live births a day is the highest in the Pacific.
“We have enough staff and we have 30 delivery beds with 24 being in use and six for emergency purposes. But the number of women coming in for delivery is too much for the ward to cater for and our staff to handle.”