Aust aids health centres

FOUR health centres in the Huon Gulf district will benefit from a donation of medical supplies from Australia.
The Australian foundation for the Peoples of Asia and Pacific donated three 40-ft containers of hospital beds, mattresses, chairs and tables and beddings.
Medical equipment included wheel chairs, crutches, stretchers, blood pressure machines, stethoscopes and surgical tools.
The health centres include three government run which are Wampar, Salamaua and Morobe and a Lutheran church run health facility at Zaka.
Huon Gulf district health coordinator Sr Pendek Sitong, who opened the containers yesterday when they arrived from Australia, said the large number of supplies meant all the 37 aid posts in the three sub districts would also benefit.
Of the aid posts, 17 are in Wampar, 12 in Salamaua and eight in Morobe patrol post.
She said it was the first such donation to the district.
The donation was negotiated by the Health, HIV/AIDS Minister and Huon Gulf MP Sasa Zibe who allocated K100,000 from the district DSIP to meet freight costs.
Health worker’s Nelson Maob from Salamaua, Janet Dormerholt from Morobe and support staff at the district unpacked the containers.
Dormerholt said some of the existing medical equipment were being outdated and would be replaced with ones from the donation.