Medicine shortage in Morobe

**Gabu Robert from Busalum in Salamaua with her children in the health centre’s ward. There are no mattresses and she had to use card board as a bed for her son. – Nationalpics by BRADLEY MARIORI**

By BRADLEY MARIORI
MEDICINE shortages are real in Morobe as health workers struggle to get basic drugs for health care and often refer patients to pharmacies to buy their own medicines.
Salamaua Health Centre, one of the province’s main health centres, is facing shortages of medicines.
Officer-in-charge Zavier Zuti said he could not supply medicines to aid posts in Salamaua because of the shortage as the health centre had received a limited supply.
On Friday, he sent a dinghy to a nearby aid post to get some medicines to treat a patient because they had run out of drugs at the health centre.
“The last medical supply should have arrived here in May but we had instead received it in June and it was not the full order,” Zuti said.

**The Salamaua Health Centre building where the posts have rusted and the concrete ladder has fallen. – Nationalpics by BRADLEY MARIORI**

“When we deliver to aid posts, we will run short so we are keeping the little supply we have.
“I’m appealing to the people to look after themselves and their families because the medicine supply is not enough.
“Medicines like Panadol, chloroquine, you have to buy them to help yourself as we are running short of supply.
“Anti-malarials are available but we are running short of antibiotics, pain killers, septrin, amoxicillin and injections like the malaria and chloramphenicol injections.”