K2mil to help Samaritan Aviation buy new aircraft

By GYNNIE KERO
THE Wewak-based Samaritan Aviation will be able to bring its second aircraft this year – thanks to a K2 million funding by the Government to acknowledge the work it is doing.
President Mark Palm was in Port Moresby on Friday to receive the K2 million cheque from National Planning and Monitoring Minister Richard Maru.
The Government wants the airline to continue its operation in East Sepik, and also extend it’s services to Gulf and Western.
Maru said Samaritan Aviation had suspended operations because of funding issues.
The Christian non-profit organisation receives 80 per cent of its funding from donors in the United States, and 20 per cent from the Government.
“The Government is impressed with the good work Samaritan Aviation is doing in the remote areas of the Sepik River and Government will continue to support it,” Maru said.
Palm said they provided health service delivery using sea planes, known in the East Sepik as saman balus.
“Our focus area is emergency flights, medicine delivery, disaster relief and community health education,” he said. “Since our partnership began in 2010, we have been able to save thousands of lives through our emergency life flights, delivered more than 70,000kg of vaccines and medical supplies to the remote clinics along the 1100km of the Sepik River.”