‘Hotspot’ provinces await Covid-19 awareness funds

OPPOSITION Leader Belden Namah says West Sepik and Western, the two PNG provinces sharing the border with Indonesia, are yet to receive funding promised by the Government on Covid-19 security operations.
The Vanimo-Green MP urged the Government to prioritise the two “hotspot provinces.
“You would think that because we share land borders with Indonesia which has over 18, 000 plus confirmed case, the Government would prioritise the two provinces,” he said.
“We need to be prepared because the Government might be concentrating too much on NCD while the virus will walk right in through the land borders.
“We need the funding for security, health programmes and awareness and to build quarantine and isolation facilities.”
Namah said if the Government was serious about its fight against Covoid-19, it should focus on the two provinces.
Prime Minister James Marape said “we are working on releasing their funding soon”.
Marape did not say why the funding had been delayed.
He thanked the two provinces for their efforts.
Meanwhile, the Government is yet to respond to Namah’s call for the release of the audit report into the K23 million of Covid-19 funds.