Aussie volunteers upgrade North Waghi health centre

AFTER 15 years of neglect, the Nondugl Health Centre in the North Waghi area in Jiwaka has received a facelift.
And it is all thanks to Rotary International Australia and a group of 13 volunteers who helped renovate the hospital, offering their service for free to the 25,000 people of Nondugl.
Officer-in-charge of the health centre John Bena has lived and worked at the health centre for the past 15 years.
He said conditions at the health centre had deteriorated to a level that patients preferred to travel to distant hospitals such as Kunjip Nazarene to access medical treatment – and deliveries for mothers. The wards had no beds and no lights.
The walls and roofs were falling apart while mothers were forced to give birth in the dark. In addition, patients had to sleep on the floors.
He said drugs and important health equipment had run out or were unusable.
The three wards have been fitted with 30 new hospital beds while the maternity ward is equipped with modern facilities.