POMGH wards receive timely gifts

Normal, Papua
Source:

By ELIZABETH MIAE

THE crowded Port Moresby General Hospital (POMGH) maternity wards have been very fortunate, receiving much aid and donations, especially from the Country Women’s Association (CWA) in New South Wales,  Australia.
It has been steadily receiving much-needed medical supplies, maternity and baby products from various donors based in PNG and overseas.
The donations have helped boost the work of staff at the maternity wing who work tirelessly night and day with whatever resources available.
Last week, the obstetrics and gynecology wards received 43 beds and 88 mattresses worth K400,000 from the PNG Tribal Foundation, Samaritan Aviation and Medicraft Hill-Rom.
Last Thursday, five boxes of sanitary pads were donated to the gynecology ward by Jacqui Standen, a member of the All Nations Women’s Group in Port Moresby.
Mrs Standen, a Latin dance coach, heard about the need for sanitary pads at the ward and chipped in K500 to buy the pads.
Sister-in-charge at the ward, Sr Helen Hukula, said the pads were very much needed as they had many cancer patients.
The special care nursery (SCN) also received a box of feeding tubes and IV cannulas for small babies. The items, worth about K1,000, were donated by CWA.
CWA has been donating funds to help the maternity wing and the children’s wards through their “rice and curry day” fundraisers back home.
Their first assistance was the purchase of food for children in three wards at the hospital, then recently a box of CTG paper for the monitoring machine at the labor ward.
Sister-in-charge of SCN, Sr Maria Bernard, told The National she was grateful.
She said the population was increasing and the wards were overcrowded with mothers and their babies while “we are having manpower shortage”.
She hoped that when the new building for the SCN was completed, it would relieve some of the burden.