PEC calls for SoE extension

THE Morobe provincial executive council, the Sam Sewec, wants the state of emergency period of three months declared to combat the cholera and dysentery outbreak to be extended.
A motion was moved by Kwabum MP and Defence Minister Bob Dadae yesterday during the Sam Sewec.
Mr Dadae said funds that had been allocated for the disease outbreak should be used for its purposes quickly.
“This is to avoid the funds being diverted elsewhere,” he said.
During the meeting, Lae MP Bart Philemon demanded the tabling of a “summative report” by the Health Department on the outbreak.
He said the information should be made available to the leaders of the province “as early as possible” to enable them to work towards solving the problems.
Mr Philemon lashed out at the report stating in Tok Pisin that: “Mi sindaun olsem longlong bikos mi no save wanem infomeisen olsem i bin stap.”  (I sit here looking like an idiot because I don’t know what information is there.)
“The outbreak was a serious issue and the provincial administration should have played its part in providing a report to all leaders prior to the meeting,” he said.
Pacific Island nation of Tonga, he said had used the cholera outbreak against PNG’s bid to host the 2015 Pacific Games but lost only by three votes.
Finschhafen MP Theo Zurenuoc, in agreeing with the motion, called on all individuals to uphold basic village health practices like digging pit latrines for each family.
He added that more awareness on personal hygiene should be adhered to at the village level.
Tewai-Siassi MP Vincent Michael also supported the motion and blamed the outbreak on people’s ignorance of personal hygiene practices.
He added that a lot of villages did not have good public health facilities which he said could have led to the outbreak.