Health centre relocated with K300,000 funding

Story by GIBSON TORASO UPNG journalism student
THE Good Samaritan sub-health centre at Fatima, outside Banz in Jiwaka region, Western Highlands, is to undergo a K300,000 relocation and expansion.
The expansion and relocation exercise was jointly funded by the Papua New Guinea Sustainable Development Program (PNGSDP), Fatima community and the Catholic church and is expected to start in March.
Fatima Catholic parish priest, Fr Ignatius Francis, while announcing the operational date of the clinic at 42nd Grade 10 and 16th Grade 12 graduation last Friday at Fr Peter Secondary School, thanked the PNGSDP Ltd for funding K181,000 towards the relocation of the clinic.
He told a big crowd at the graduation the help given by the PNGSDP would give thousands of people in the region better quality health services.
He said the money given would be used for its intended purpose and “not a single toea will be misused”.
He said the clinic would directly bene­fit the growing student population and the surrounding communities as well as the people of Jiwaka.
He said the Fatima community had raised K32,000, while the Catholic archdiocese of Mt Hagen helped with the balance.
He said the project needed more funding for houses for health wor­kers and fencing.
Francis presented a proposal to local MP and Jiwaka Transitional Authority chairman Benjamin Mul asking for more funding for homes for  nurses, fencing and  others to complete the project.