Plan to upgrade aid posts

POMIO administrator Peter Peniat says there is a plan to upgrade all the aid posts in the district.
For the Sapango aid post, he is waiting for the ward members of Lamaraen, Longmok and Kalip to make submissions to the East Pomio local level government (LLG) assembly meeting.
The assembly will recommend that the LLG president present the submission at the district development authority board meeting for approval.
“The district administration will send a team to inspect and do scoping work once the submission is approved,” Peniat said.
Lamaraen ward member
Joseph Senenpaik said the Sapango aid post was established
in 1975 but lacked government support.
Community health worker Clarence Jonah who works at the aid post travels to Kokopo to buy medicine.
“Jonah always goes to Kokopo to buy medical drugs and supplies from the money collected as
patient service fees,” Senenpaik said.
Very sick people are referred to the Marunga Catholic Health centre in Sinivit. Mother-of-three Cornelia Mange from the Lamaraen ward said pregnant mothers went to the Marunga health centre for clinic every Friday which was expensive. “We mothers always risk our lives to travel by boat to St Mary’s Vunapope Hospital in Kokopo, or the Marunga Catholic health centre in the Sinivit LLG to seek medical assistance,” Mange said.
She said some women lost their lives while seeking medical services.