Aussies fund K8m TB clinic in Daru hospital

 THE fight against tuberculosis has received a boost with the opening of a specialist ward at the Daru general hospital in Western.

Australian Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, Senator Matt Thistlethwaite opened the 22-bed TB isolation ward at the hospital with Health and HIV/AIDS Minister Michael Malabag.

At a press conference in Port Moresby, Thistlethwaite said it was an honour to open the ward.

“It’s a great day of being an Australian and it was an honour on behalf of Australia to open the first class facility to eradicate the surge of TB in PNG,” he said.

The ward is part of Australia’s $33 million commitment to support the Government’s  fight against TB.

The ward comprises of six isolation rooms for isolation of airborne infections and a 16-bed recovery ward. The facility cost K8 million.

“In PNG around 14,000 new cases of TB are diagnosed every year, making it one of the country’s most significant health development issues,” he said.