Daru Hospital in dire need of upgrade

On Oct 27, the management and staff of Daru Hospital organised a dinner to raise funds to rehabilitate the hospital’s ailing infrastructure.
Their effort is highly commendable but I do not know if the outcome of the fundraising dinner was successful or not.
Nevertheless, all the stakeholders should take note of the call and contribute towards upgrading the hospital.
We all know that Daru area has been featured in the media for serious disease outbreaks such as TB and cholera and there is an urgent need to have a highly effective and efficient hospital.
On the other hand, the disease outbreaks can be directly related to the poor sewage and sanitation system of the town – the town still uses the black bucket system to dispose human waste and public servants, residents and the hospital do not have access to a continuous supply of clean water.
Hence, Daru urgently needs a proper sewage and water reticulation system.
The former PNGSDP attempted to address this issue by initiating an ambitious water supply system but it only managed to purchase the equipment and did not implement the project after the acquisition of OTML by the government.
We now hear that this equipment has been diverted to build the water supply system for Yangoru district of East Sepik and recently it was opened with much jubilation at the expense of Daru people.
It is therefore only proper that the appropriate authorities and the National Government compensate the people of Daru by purchasing and installing a new water supply system for the inconvenience done to them.
I wish to propose that Daru , which is located on a small island, be relocated to the mainland where it is much closer to a fresh water source. Also the island is small and will not be able to cater for the long-term development and expansion of the town.
Otherwise, I urge stakeholders such as Ok Tedi Mining Ltd, Ok Tedi Development Foundation, Fly River government, South Fly administration, donor partners, NGOs and civil society groups to contribute towards the rehabilitation and purchase of new medical equipment for Daru Hospital.

Eugene Kambut
Port Moresby