Garaina health centre still waiting for medicines: Health worker

National

GARAINA health centre in Morobe’s Wau-Waria is in need of antibiotics and essential drugs to serve the 15,000 people of Waria valley.
Senior community health worker (CHW) Kotoram Autia said their order for medicines sent to Lae area medical store in April were yet to be delivered.
“There has been a delay and we are still waiting for the health centre’s stock,”he said.
“Patients were not treated well due to lack of drugs at the centre.
“There is zero stock of chloropenical and amoxicillin injection and capsules.
“We need the drugs to be delivered by next week.”
Autia said they had ordered 20 cartons of drugs in April and were still waiting for delivery.
“The delivery of medicines were delayed for months,”he said.
“Patients are waiting to be treated for most common illnesses of pneumonia and other respiratory infections.”
Autia said patients had placed a lot of pressure on the health centre, which was manned by only three CHWs.
“We have 10, aid posts and a community health post in our catchment, but are all closed because of no staffing,”he said.
“It is the only operational health facility for 17 wards of Waria local level government (LLG).
“We treat more than 500 patients in a month.”
Autia said the delay of the timely medicine supply was due to logistical and inefficient communication problems.
“Digicel communication network in the area is not strong,”he said.
“There’s no internet and this has prevented us from placing orders online. So we have to pay between K400 and K600 for third-level airlines to come to either Wau, Bulolo or Lae to place orders for essential drugs online.
“There’s no roadlink into the valley, it’s only accessible by small planes.
“There’s unreliable communication for last two months.”