Hospital gets new nursery

HUNDREDS of smiling mothers packed the Hela hospital to witness the opening of a new special care nursery on Tuesday, thanks to the Hela health authority (PHA) and partners.
PHA chief executive Dr James Kintwa said after many years of struggle, mothers and their babies would benefit from the service.
He said PHA was launched two years ago but the hospital lacked equipment and materials and PHA was doing its best to improve the services.
“We are slowly improving the facilities here, one important area was the paediatric section and finally the hospital has a nursery now,” Kintwa said.
“When the PHA is launched in a province, the declaration is made for a provincial hospital and the Hela provincial hospital is a level four centre.
“However, facilities at the hospital are for a district hospital and not a provincial hospital.”
He said a level four facility needed to have specialists and other services and the hospital was facing a huge challenge to meet those standards.
Kintwa said the pressure was on the board and staff to make sure the hospital was functioning effectively in line with its status.
Paediatric physician Dr Michael Landi said the new nursery was a God-send because the hospital staff had struggled daily to support mothers and their new born babies.
“In a week, about seven children are born at the hospital and the setting is fine for the babies,” Landi said.
“But we need a bigger space for the mothers.”