Islanders call for help to provide ambulance

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THE islanders of Tami in Finchhafen, Morobe, are asking donor organisations to provide a sea ambulance for them.
Village councillor Katong Silas said the villagers on Kalal and Wanam islands which made up Tami had to hire boats, which cost them K150 per trip, to take emergency medical cases to the mainland.
Silas said emergency cases were then referred to Butaweng Health Centre which meant an additional transport fee.
“There is no consistent source of income for our villages so no one has such money for emergency cases,” he said.
Villager Labe Mesa said it was important that a sea ambulance is on standby for health emergency cases for the islanders.
“Manalos Aviation is helping remote areas mostly on the mainland. But what about the islands like us where there’s no proper landing spots for a helicopter?” he said.
Kiniwa Sem, a community health worker from Tami, who resides and works at the Dregahffen High School, said she had treated many sick people whenever she visited home for holidays.
“Last week, I treated 10 children with running nose and high fever because parents said they couldn’t afford the boat fare,” she said.
Sem said she had also assisted two births on the island last year, one of which was a high risk birth so she had to call a doctor who guided her through the delivery.
“If I wasn’t here, it would have been a different story for them,” she said.