POM Hospital technicians get biomedical repair kits
The National, Tuesday 30th April 2013
By ELIZABETH MIAE
FIVE technicians from Port Moresby General Hospital received biomedical repair kits worth more than K200,000 each from Esso Highlands Ltd (EHL) yesterday.
The five were part of a group of 11 technicians from Mendi, Mt Hagen, Goroka and Kundiawa hospitals who got six-month training in the United States with sponsorship from EHL last year under the Biomedical Engineering Technology programme.
They acquired skills in installing, repairing and maintaining lifesaving equipment such as x-ray machines, incubators and cardiac pressure monitors.
According to EHL, the repair kits are part of the training package and will allow the technicians to use their newly-acquired knowledge and skills to support delivery of clinical services.
PNG Tribal Foundation is providing logistical support to deliver the repair kits to the hospitals.
EHL managing director Peter Graham said the PNG LNG project developer was pleased to support the dedicated medical staff across the country by helping to ensure that equipment were serviceable.
“There is little value in having modern equipment to diagnose and treat illness if it cannot be appropriately maintained,” he
said.
“EHL will also be providing medical equipment and consumables to 12 rural health centres, including five remote sites in the Southern Highlands, Hela and Western to help improve the quality of health care delivery for communities in those areas.”
Tribal Foundation president Gary Bustin added that his team was pleased to partner with EHL to boost the capacity of those who provided vital medical services in those areas.
EHL reported that additional equipment that was being delivered included anaesthetic machines and ventilators, bedside monitors, infant incubators, fetal and neonatal monitors and sterilisers.
PMGH director of biomedical engineering Michael Waiin thanked EHL for the kits and said the biggest challenge for the technicians and the government was the sustenance and maintenance of the equipment including funding.