Health centre receives medicines

A setback facing most rural health centres in the country is the lack of constant and sufficient supply of medical drugs, a health worker says.
For Owena sub-health centre in the Lamari local level government, Obura-Wonenara, Eastern Highlands, the only means of getting medicine is by airplane.
Officer in charge Margaret Kevin said: “Sometimes there are delays in the flight schedules, sometimes the payments for the freight cost is
not done on time, and these reasons stop the medicines from reaching the people.
“Most times this health facility can open without medicines for two to four months. We just check and diagnose patients and that is it, there is nothing we can do.”
The health facility caters for a catchment of more than 10,000 people.
On Tuesday, MP Mehrra Kipefa and Manolos Aviation restocked the health facility with K3,000 worth of medicine supplies from Germany.
The partnership allows Manalos Aviation to bring supplies to the remote health facilities during medevac.
“Our two months’ supply is nearly finished.
“Actually, we have no painkillers and anti-malarial medicines, but thanks to Manolos, we can use those supplies,” she said.
“We will be ordering new medicines this month for the next two months of supply, and we do not know when it will arrive.”
Pilot Jürgen Ruh said: “We have MPs who bought medicines for their district, so every time I do a medevac to a remote health centre in their district, I bring the medicines with me to restock the health centre,” he said.
“There is no freight costs charged because we are going there for the medevac anyway.”