Project benefiting women

Women in Gumine, Chimbu, can now deliver their babies safely thanks to a newly built maternity wing at the Dirima community health post.
The maternity wing was constructed with the help of community volunteers from funds donated by friends and relatives of Dirima St Anne’s Parish priest, South Korean Fr Peter Kim.
“I have been with the parish for four years,” he said.
“I am a priest and I administer to the spiritual growth of the parishioners but we also have social needs such as the need for better and appropriate healthcare for our people, especially our mothers.”
Fr Kim said in Dirima and Yani, which comprises five council wards of the Gumine Rural local level government, women faced difficulties in safely delivering their babies because of a lack of a proper facility.
He said Gumine sub-health centre was about two kilometres away with Kundiawa hospital.
“Transport is not readily available and with lack of information on safe motherhood, mothers deliver at home with no assistance from trained health workers is a risk to women.”
“Therefore my friends and family in South Korea and some in the United States supported me with funding when I asked for help,” he said.
Fr Kim said people were grateful for the new maternity wing that has delivery rooms, an inpatient ward, an antenatal area, storage space and showers. He said 15,000 women from Dirima and other communities now have access to a better health facility which would boost services.
Maria Dulume thanked Fr Kim on behalf of the women and the community for the timely intervention.
She said the improvement of healthcare for pregnant women would save lives.
The health centre has four health workers and a midwife is expected to be posted to administer the maternity wing.
Dirima Community Health Post is a Catholic Church run facility.