Pangia’s Williame health centre to get K250,000 upgrade

 THE Williame Health Centre in Pangia, Southern Highlands, will soon see to upgrade of its facilities.

PNG Sustainable Development Program (PNGSDP) and the Catholic diocese of Mendi signed a project funding agreement recently in Ialibu for the health project to start.

PNGSDP would provide K250,000 for the upgrade.   

The project involves the construction of a maternity ward, two staff houses and the renovation of the outpatient clinic.  

The diocese has secured K154,000 from the Churches Medical Council of PNG and K50,000 from the local member and minister for Treasury Peter O’Neill for the project. 

It will also provide an additional K66,000 in the form of logistics support, project management and materials.   

The funding agreement was signed between PNGSDP’s chief executive officer David Sode and representatives from the Catholic diocese of Mendi.  

PNGSDP’s director Lawrence Acanufa and some locals witnessed the signing ceremony.  

Sode acknowledged the work of churches in Southern Highlands.        

The health centre is situated in the Wiru area of the Ialibu-Pangia electorate. 

It is about 35km from Pangia station and shares the same boarder with Chimbu. 

The health centre has six staff.

The Williame area is quite isolated from Mendi,  which makes the accessibility to basic services very challenging for the population of about 20,000 people.  

The Mendi Catholic diocese had, over the years, continued to provide services in the area since it established its parish, a primary school and the Williame health facility.

PNGSDP had supported the Mendi Catholic diocese in a number of  other development projects since 2007.