Lack of services cause of deaths: Health official

By EREBIRI ZURENUOC
THE lack of health facilities, roads and telecommunication services in parts of Morobe is leading to the deaths of mothers and babies, an official says.
Sister Susan Muro, attached with the Manolos Aviation Medevac Operation, which is in partnership with the Morobe provincial government, told The National yesterday “many mothers are struggling to deliver babies”. “Sometimes with the help of village birth attendants, other times, by women who have no training at all,” she said.
“In villages where there is no network coverage, our job becomes very difficult.
“Most times, we get calls really late. That’s when the mothers die. Sometimes they die inside the house, other times, they die on stretchers while being carried to the nearest health facility, or to place where the helicopter can land.”
Muro said there was a big need for health services in rural areas.
“Some aid post and health facilities are empty or closed. There are no staff to attend to patients,” she said.
“For some villages, the health facility is far away. And given the distance, some patients are too weak to reach the facilities.
“The population is still growing in the rural areas, and the health facilities are not enough to cater for the population.
There are no roads in all those remote areas, and people carry the sick on stretchers to seek medical assistance.”
Sr Rosemary Singgedan, also a nurse, said the health facilities in the remote villages were empty.
“It is a huge problem, because the remote areas are not usually patrolled and checked by health management teams,” she said.