Angau’s cancer unit gets vehicle

By JIMMY KALEBE
ANGAU Memorial Hospital’s cancer unit received a boost for its services when it received a brand new vehicle from Kumul Petroleum Holdings Ltd (KPHL) yesterday. Morobe Provincial Health Authority (PHA) chief executive officer Dr Kipas Binga thanked KPHL for its continuous support to national cancer unit in Angau, saying the vehicle would be used by the unit’s oncologist. The donation of the vehicle was part of a memorandum of understanding signed between PHA and KPHL last February which saw the state oil and gas company appropriate K15 million to support the country’s cancer treatment facilities. “This money is not with us at the moment. It is still with KPHL and we only request when needs arise and it is used specially for equipping cancer unit as earmarked for,” Dr Binga said. The areas which are essential for the unit are for an oncologist to be recruited from overseas to be based in Lae, the refurbishment of the cancer unit and a new radiation machine. Angau previously offered radiation therapy to cancer patients but it was stopped after the radiation therapy machine became outdated. Dr Binga said the unit was still able to provide chemotherapy medication and surgery services. He said the radiation therapy machine required a specialist to operate which was why MPHA was set to bring in an oncologist. Angau would be the only facility offering radiation therapy in the country once its machine was replaced, Dr Binga said. He said legislation before Parliament would allow the importation of radiation devices and equipment into the country but this would also need the requisite regulation to control and manage these items.