Hospital gets medical kits

HEALTH kits containing essential medication arrived at Port Moresby General Hospital last week as Australia continued its delivery of health kits to aid posts and health centres across the country.
The Australian government, through AusAID, delivered 58 health kits to PMGH.
The kits will boost the stock of medical supplies at Papua New Guinea’s largest hospital and contribute to improving maternal and child health.
Between August and November; 15,100 medical kits were delivered to 1,853 aid posts and 677 health centres. 
This amounts to 90% of all aid posts and 92% of all health centres.
“Delivery to provincial hospitals in Port Moresby, East New Britain and Bougainville has been completed, but the distribution to remote districts is continuing and will be finalised this month,” AusAID health programme director, Geoff Clark said.
“Among the most difficult are 295 facilities that can only be reached by helicopter or by several days trekking.
“The kits have being delivered to all aid posts and health centres in all the four regions, with the remaining facilities to receive theirs in December.”
AusAID development specialist Paul Bridgman accompanied the delivery in East New Britain and said despite the condition of the roads and the remoteness of the aid posts, deliveries were proceeding well.
“There was one health centre that we could not reach by four-wheel drive vehicle.
“We left the vehicle and set off on a two-day overnight walk, carrying 12 kits with us,” Paul said.
“When we arrived, we learnt the villagers and health workers at Raunsepna often made the same journey on foot to transport their medical supplies when the road was impassable.
“The sister-in-charge at Raunsepna said medical supplies often sit idle for months at neighbouring Kerevat District Hospital.
“She negotiates and funds a team of local village carriers to walk with her to collect the supplies.”
The delivery-to-the-door method employed by AusAID has reduced the transport burden faced by health workers and their community.
This means there will now be more funds available to support mobile clinics to remote areas and to improve power, maintenance and water supply.
This means that the necessary me­dicine are available for women to safely give birth in aid posts and health centres.
New rounds of deliveries direct to all health facilities in PNG will begin again this month and continue throughout 2012