Monica loves to care for sick people

By MICHELLE AUAMOROMORO
MONICA Ieme was helping a young boy take off his dirty clothes on his sickbed when he swore at her.
Anyone else would have reprimanded him on the spot, but Monica, a health worker, simply smiled back.
That was in 2018. And that incident taught her that to be a health worker, she had to be strong, willing and most importantly, full of patience.
“Every time you will be facing different patients – some good, some aggressive. It is how you approach them and treat them which is very important. I see that one act of kindness towards a patient will make a big difference in his or her life.”

Monica, 27, is from Mariki village in Baimuru, Gulf. She had been serving for three years as a community health worker at the Kapuna Rural Hospital after completing a Community Health Worker training from 2013 to 2015.
She completed the training in July, 2015, obtaining certificates in community health work and postgraduate nurse internship.
In her family, she is the eldest of three children. She wanted to become a health worker because of her desire to serve others.
“It all started when I was a patient myself at the Kapuna Rural Hospital in 2010. The treatment and care given to me by doctors, nurses and medics there touched my heart. I wanted to do the same to others. And that is how my journey began.”
The passion to serve sick people grew when she was at the hospital.
And it broke her heart during trips to rural areas in West Kerema when she saw the lack of health services.
“I’ve been to remote areas like Haia in Wabo, upper Purari, Sotau, upstream Era River in east Kikori and others. They only receive medical services once or twice a year from the Kapuna Rural Hospital routine patrols, or from government patrols on polio vaccination or normal immunisation.
“There is so much to do in these areas. It would be better if workers at government health centers and aid posts do routine travels too.

“  It is how you approach them and treat them which is very important. I see that one act of kindness towards a patient will make a big difference in his or her life.”

“From my experience, I would say that the Kapuna Rural Hospital has been doing a very good job in reaching out to people in West Gulf, especially Baimuru and parts of Kikori and Ihu.”
Monica welcomes the village health volunteer programme initiated by Dr. Valerie Archer.
“This programme brings together individuals from communities in and around Baimuru, even Kikori and Ihu who are taught how to treat simple fractures, snake bites etc. Most importantly they are taught the symptoms of TB.
“Lately this programme has been doing a great job in the communities by referring TB suspects to the Kapuna Rural Hospital and other sicknesses they can’t handle at their level.”
Monica left the Kapuna Rural Hospital in August 2018 for personal reasons. She has been living in Port Moresby for about six months now.
Today, she has been wondering if people in the remotest part of her province have any idea about the coronavirus.
“Sadly at Baimuru, my people are lost, believing every rumour they hear about the pandemic. In the past two weeks, I have made it my business to relay messages regarding covid-19 from mainstream media to my people through phone calls.”
In fact she now wants to return to Kapuna Rural Hospital to continue what she loves most – serving sick people.
She realises that it is her true calling.
She cannot wait for the state of emergency to be lifted to return home and continue to serve her people with love – even more love than before.