Docs using phone torch at ward

By LULU MARK
DOCTORS at the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) labour ward are using their mobile phone torch light during operation because there is only one functioning examination light, a doctor says.
Head of obstetrics and gynaecology at the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) and School of Medicine and Health Science (SMHS) Prof Glen Mola told The National yesterday that the examination lights were needed when mothers required stitches after giving birth. “This light helps us to see properly and sew the woman up,” he said.
“Now there is only one light that works.”
He said usually there was one examination light to six beds in the 24-bed ward.
“Every day around 40 to 45 mothers come into the labour ward to give birth.”
Dr Mola said if the head of the baby was controlled carefully and not break the mother’s skin, then she did not need stitches after birth.
However, he said first-time mothers would often need stitches besides those who had complications.
He said in a day, 38 per cent (about 17) of the women who came in to deliver would be first-time mothers and 15 per cent (7) women would have complications.
Therefore, he said around 15 to 20 women would need to be stitched in a day.
“We need good light so that we can see what we are doing.”
When The National went into see the only functioning examination light, it was also revealed by the doctors that the air conditioning had broken down some months ago and they were using fans.
Dr Mola said it was a very sweaty place.
He said concerns were raised but there was just not enough money to fix things.
Final-year medical students told him as their patron on Monday that they would buy some examination lights for the labour ward, ECG machines for the medical ward, wheelchairs for surgical ward and other things through fundraising as their graduation gift to the hospital.
Dr Mola said in addition to the overload experienced at the hospital, everyday something would run out and it had become so unpredictable.
“We have to maintain our services because we can’t just let things run down and then there is no money to do maintenance,” Dr Mola said.
He stressed that the health of the people, particularly the maternal and neonatal infrastructure and services, should be prioritised as this was the area with so much activity going on daily and where resource scarcity was high.