Goilala schools lack health awareness

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By DEMAS TIEN
Schools in the Goilala district in Central, have been facing difficulties with access to basic health awareness and regular medical clinics.
This was due to difficult terrain which prevented health workers from carrying out awareness and clinics to the schools.
Sr Ruth Ulma, from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Tapini Health Centre, said out of the six schools in the district, they only visited three this year. She said they were unable to visit other schools.
Ulma said pregnant women delivered their babies at home because of these problems.
“We have a lot of antenatal clinics but due to geographical conditions mothers deliver at home,” she said.
“Our delivery numbers are lower than the numbers coming for clinics because most mothers delivered at home.”
She said the main challenge the staff faced was in relation to referral of patients to Port Moresby because there was no vehicle for the health centre.
“We have an ambulance that is looked after by the school and that’s the only ambulance that all of us are using,” she said.
“In terms of emergency and when we can’t travel on the road, we contact our local MP William Samb and he would send a helicopter.”
She said common diseases in Goilala were skin infections, tuberculosis (TB) and pneumonia.
The health centre was formerly administered by the Government until 2006 when the Catholic mission took over and renovated the buildings and reopened it in 2010.
The health centre is well equipped with facilities including two general wards for adult patients, a TB ward, an intensive care unit, a pediatric ward and a labour ward.
There is a registered nursing officer and five community health workers at the health centre who serve the people in the district lacks health awareness in schools in the district.