Medical group ends operations

 By PISAI GUMAR

AN international medical charity is winding down its contract in Lae and Morobe.

Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) or Doctors Without Borders not only provided medical and social care but contributed tremendously to rescuing Tewai-Siassi, Menyamya, Huon Gulf and Lae city during the cholera outbreak in 2009.

MSF swiftly established a cholera treatment and care centre for patients, provided skills and knowledge and worked alongside nurses and doctors at Angau Memorial Hospital.

Contracted in 2007, the charity group established a family support centre (FSC), and treated more than 13,185 people with medical expertise and gave care to children, women and men traumatised by child and sexual abuse until 2013.  

MSF country manager Paul Brockmann officially handed over the centre office key to Angau board chairman Benson Nablu, who entrusted it to coordinator Sr Anastasia Wakon last Friday.

The event coincided with the opening of the refurbished emergency and accident unit and staff accommodation.

 Health Department deputy secretary Dr Paison Dakulala commended MSF for the immense effort in cholera patient care, treatment, management and control in Lae and Morobe apart from care to sexual and family violence patients.

“MSF was more into case management in human lives to ensure violence and abuse affected people were properly treated not in terms of medication but importantly psycho-social needs,” he said.

Dakulala applauded the group’s commitment to establishing surgical, maternal health and child care centres in Buin, Autonomous Region of Bougainville, and Tari, in Hela, respectively.

Brockmann said leadership and partnership were two crucial elements that required in-depth understanding between care giver and recipient.

“Violence in family and community has tremendous impact to a person’s life from experiencing physical pain, bruises and psychological trauma and requires commitment from care giver for the victim to recoup,” he said.