PMC will serve a handful of people

Briefs, Letters

ALLOW me to give some perspectives of the current health status while Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare and Health Minister Sasa Zibe are living in their fantasy land.
Morobe recorded the highest cholera outbreak cases and deaths due to poor water and sanitation problems which is a result of ineffective rural health service delivery.
And we must not forget that Morobe is Zibe’s province.
East Sepik has continuously recorded a high incidence of malaria, dengue fever, elephantiasis, etc.
This is a result of lack of coordinated efforts in the rural health sector.
East Sepik is Sir Michael’s home province.
All electorates in the country have some forms of maternal deaths, including other preventative illness that we cannot deny.
It is very common that women and children suffer in silence because most MPs, except for a handful, do not put health and education on top of their to-do list.
So will the Pacific Medical Centre eradicate malaria, cholera, high maternal mortality rates, HIV/AIDS, etc?
If you think building the PMC will make all these go away, think again.
It is a sheer waste of money to build the multi-million kina hospital as the majority of the people are living too far from the hospital.
It’s a mockery for the poor people.
Prof Glen Mola and other committed health workers have committed their personal time and professional lives to save people.
Our leaders do not need the PMC because they seek treatment overseas.
But for the majority of the people, they need their health centres and aid posts to be stocked with basic medicines and staffed by community health workers.
The main hospitals in each province must be upgraded, properly equipped with the latest tool and have sufficient doctors, nurses, medicines, etc.
As far as the public is concerned, the PMC will not benefit 90% of our population except those in the nation’s capital, Central and the well-to-do in other parts of the country.

Bush man
Mt Hagen