Localise OOH, says local surgeon

HEART surgeon Dr Noah Tapaua is calling on the government to upgrade cardiac treatment facilities at the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) to handle all heart patients, especially children.  
“We need this unit to be localised so that patients with critical congenital conditions or heart deformities will be operated in the country instead of being send back and forth for treatment overseas.
“We must have these facilities onshore,” Tapaua said.
“PNG has a population reaching more than seven million people and to be without a cardiac unit at PMGH is just not right.”
He said it would cost more than K10,000 to send a patient overseas for treatment and many Papua New Guineans in the rural areas did not have this kind of money.
In the lead-up to the current operation open heart (OOH), PMGH medical staff stressed the need to localise the programme with PNG’s own facilities, doctors and associated medical personnel.
According to OOH coordinator Russell Lee, four-and-half tonne of medical equipment, worth more than K1.17 million, were airlifted from Australia to Papua New Guinea for the programme.
“We are committed to PNG to ensure the local programmes develop and special disciplines continue to receive training in all areas, both education and technical skills.
“We hope the country is able to localise the initiative and having fewer need for us to come annually to conduct the programme to help those in rural areas in outside provinces who tend to miss out on basic medical services,” Lee said.