ESP expects major boost

By GYNNIE KERO
Despite a dull Thursday morning (Sept 13), students stood on both sides of the road as early as 8am.
Their bright coloured uniforms of blue and yellow, green and red and white adorned the street leading into the Somare Stadium.
They were eager to catch a glimpse of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.
Or to hear what plans the Government has for East Sepik in the next five years.
The Air Niugini aircraft carrying the Government delegation to Wewak touched down at the Boram airport at approximately 11:30am.
At the main arena for the event, singsing groups from all six districts performed traditionally dances to welcome the Government delegation.
All traditional singsings were somewhat unique. They each tell a story of warfare, bride price payment, marriages, etc.
People from the Sepik River alone speak 200 languages.
The provincial capital, Wewak is a beautiful and historical town with so many hard working people still living there.
Taking a drive from Boram Airport to town past the now run-down Windjammer Beach Motel along the “nambis rot” is always pleasant.
Watching sunsets from Wewak Hill or Kreer Heights is spectacular.
Building infrastructures and supporting agriculture projects like vanilla, cocoa, coconut, coffee and marine resources are necessary to grow the internal revenue of the province.
A company buys vanilla beans in the province for K950 per kilo.
Multiply that figure by the several hundred local farmers in one district alone…you do the math!
Speaking at the Somare Stadium on that Thursday, National Planning Minister and Yangoru-Saussia MP Richard Maru urged all political leaders from the province to cooperate with the Government for economic empowerment.
“We have to accept Government’s support and raise internal revenue for the province,” Maru said.
Governor Allan Bird highlighted that the East Sepik was keen on agriculture and fisheries for economic empowerment.
Bird added that to fight corruption the provincial government has started to “clean up” its administration.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill assured East Sepik that the Government would help fund major infrastructure including agriculture projects.
O’Neill acknowledged that people from East Sepik were proud and hardworking and have helped developed other provinces.
The provincial hospital at Borma, constructed in 1959 with a capacity of 250 beds, was opened in May 1962 by the then colonial administration.
Much of the medical equipment has exceeded its useful life and has become non-functional.
These include essential equipment like x-ray, anaesthetic, ultra sound machines, etc.
Patients are being treated in run-down buildings, leaking roofs in the wards, regular blockage of patients’ toilets and the list goes on.
It is the only hospital for over 500,000 people and at times under-staffed.
The kind-hearted team from faith-based organisation, Samaritan Aviation helps the hospital with the distribution of medical kits or uses its floatplanes to medivac patients from the Sepik River.
The ground breaking for the K300 million redevelopment package for the hospital during the Government delegation’s visit to Wewak was more than welcomed by the public.
By 2019, students will undertake nursing studies separately at the Wewak Provincial Hospital and Divine Word University’s (DWU) St Benedict’s campus.
Nursing ceiling at the hospital is 170 positions, of which 100 are nursing officers while 70 are community health workers (CHW).
DWU St Benedict’s campus vice president Dr Lawrence Arockiaraj assured the Government that the university has facilities such as dormitories, a library, dining for the new intakes of the school of nursing next year.
Other development projects earmarked for East Sepik will include the extension of the Wewak port and Boram airport and rehabilitation of the Sepik Highway including the Wewak town roads.
O’Neill urged politicians from the province to work together as the National Government was committed to assist them with development projects.
People in East Sepik appreciated the Government delegation with gifts such as bilums, baskets, live crocodiles, pigs and a cassowary during their hours visit to the province.