Japan ambassador visits Kimbe hospital, pledges support

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
JAPANESE Ambassador Satosi Nakajima is happy with the cooperation between the Japanese volunteers and locals working together in health and education services in West New Britain.
Nakajima said working together to serve the community helped strengthen relationships between Japan and PNG.
“We have five Japanese International Cooperation Agency (Jica) volunteers working in WNB,” he said.
“Three are working at the Kimbe General Hospital as laboratory technicians, health administration and physiotherapist. We have two working at the secondary and primary school.
Nakajima was concerned about the hardship faced at the Kimbe General Hospital.
The hospital experienced a blackout last Wednesday and the standby generator failed.
Nakajima said that he would try to help solve some challenges faced at the hospital.
Meanwhile, surgical officer Thomas Pangan said they were in the middle of the operation when there was a black out.
“It was very good that the ambassador visited to see the hardship that we face. When there is a blackout, we use mobile torch lights to carry out the operation.
“We also use other manual surgical machines and equipment to continue the operation.”
Pangan said they usually performed a 100 various surgical operations per month.
Nakajima was on a two-day tour in WNB to see Jica volunteers working in the hospital, at Gigo Primary and at Hoskins Secondary schools.