Morobe kicks off NHP

MOROBE is kicking off the national health plan (NHP) 2011-20 with the Morobe Mining Joint Venture (MMJV) at the Wafi sub-health centre and Zindaga village aid post in the Bulolo district.
Provincial health programme adviser Dr Likei Theo said during his district health facility visit last Friday, that he wanted to strengthen the partnership between the government and MMJV by implementing the health plan.
“With something that we can afford like the health equipment, we must provide for maximum benefit for the people.
 “The whole idea is to get basic health equipment and material for renovations and then it will be the responsibility of the health workers to carry out awareness to all the villages in the area and also to support maternal health issues,” he said.
MMJV health programme supervisor Mark Kumul said: “At least we set up proper health posts or centres that will assist the people.”
He said the proposal that they made to MMJV was to make renovations of the posts and centres and promote supervised village bed stations for the village.
“We must do little of that work first than the company will come and give a hand,” Kumul said concerning their proposal with MMJV.
He said to recognise the company’s role, the company should provide the basic supply of infrastructural equipment.
MMJV CDS programme coordinator Thelma Bossin said the health and education of these people was very important because they were the human resource who would work in the company.
She said they want the company to have its own staff clinic and the time people to have their own because most of the people rush to the Wafi sub-health centre in the mine’s exploration site.
Senior nursing officer of the Wafi sub-health centre said they treat 20-30 patients from the villages and they also had patients from villages far off in Wantoat in the highlands of Markham district.
Bossin also said MMJV would move the sub-health centre to Zindaga, raising it from its current status of an aid post.
Theo again said he will negotiate for more nursing officers to work in Zindaga.
He said Zindaga would qualify for a health centre because it serves 3,000 people from six villages.
“If this is successful, it will be a model for the province and the country.”