Banam aid post gets new ambulance

NEW Ireland’s oldest aid post in Banam, Lihir were given an ambulance by the Mineral Resource Lihir (MRL) Capital Limited recently.
Banam’s community health worker and officer in-charge Lisa Goloki said many patients died while searching for transport to refer them to the Lihir Medical Centre. Some died before arriving at the hospital because help was not given on time while others died at the aid post.
“The ambulance is the much-needed help as the location of the aid post is far from the nearest Bali and Lihir Health Centre. At times I would run to local transport owners urging them to help my patients but they would give excuses about fuel and could not help,” Goloki said.
Goloki said it hurt seeing the pain on patients’ faces that at times they would find means to rush them by boat to Bali and many succumbed.
“With the donation, we can now assist pregnant mothers to deliver babies, doing emergency clinical, obstetric and administration runs. The ambulance has so far assisted six obstetric and 10 emergency cases who would have lost lives.
“Six mothers with pregnancy complications were also taken to the Lihir Medical Centre and were treated, two staff with the ambulance driver are always on standby to attend to patients, unlike some aid posts where patients have to wait for the nurses,” Galoki said.
“The aid post serves about two emergency cases monthly, about 30 patients weekly from the neighbouring catchment areas like Sali and Mazuz and about 10 in Kosmayun.”