Jimi mothers get health facilities

By YVONNE HAIP
PREGNANT mothers in Jiwaka’s Jimi district now have improved health care facilities, thanks to the Western Highlands provincial health authority.
The authority recently presented the Anglican church-run Koinamba Health Centre K25,000 to have its labour ward upgraded.The Anglican Church Health Services, which runs the facility, said the money would be used to ensure mothers benefited from improved delivery.
The money is from the authority’s health functional grants that are made available to church health facilities that apply for it.The money is intended to improve church-run facilities in order to provide better health care for local communities.Authority acting director public health Philip Talpa presented the cheque to Anglican church health services secretary Pais Kwitaka in Mt Hagen.Talpa said the authority appreciated the health services being provided by churches in some of the most remote parts of Western Highlands and Jiwaka.
Despite being a separate province from Western Highlands, Jiwaka will benefit from health services provided by the authority until it sets up its own service delivery mechanisms.
Authority chief executive officer Dr James Kintwa said they recognised the efforts of the churches and would partner with them to improve the quality of health services in both provinces.
“The grants provided by the authority are additional to the church health staffing and administrative grants, which are routinely received from the national government,” he said.
So far, 10 church-run health centres, as well as the Tinsley Baptist district hospital in Baiyer have been assisted with K364,000 from the health functional grants.“Other church health facilities will be helped with either direct funding or indirectly through funding for improvements to their facilities,” Kintwa said.