K1.4mil allocated to Eastern Highlands health authority

EASTERN Highlands Governor Peter Numu has allocated K1.4 million to the provincial health authority to assist in the fight against the Coronavirus (Covid 19).
He said money approved by the provincial executive council would be used to buy essential equipment such as oxygen cylinders and masks.
“People are dying rapidly. During my recent visit to the Goroka Provincial Hospital, I witnessed five people die,” he said.
He said three also died at the Kainantu Rural Hospital while two died in their villages.
The province’s population is around 700,000.
Numu said to properly manage the pandemic in the province, they needed K16 million which it did not have.
People’s attitude remains the biggest problem, he said.
“People like to socialise and do marketing and changing this attitude remains a big challenge. People are dying but many are still ignorant,” Numu said.
They plan to set up Covid-19 isolation facilities at the National Sports Institute and the Kassam Pass section of the Highlands Highway. Numu said to effectively implement the new measures, they needed to support the police manpower.
The province plans to pay a risk allowance of K50 a day for police officers over two weeks.