Rotarians assist with PMGH uplift

National, Normal
Source:

The National – Monday, June 20, 2011

By ALISON ANIS
NEW-BORN babies and their mothers will benefit from new facilities at the Port Moresby General Hospital maternity wing.
They will enjoy more space at the newly-commissioned Special Care Nursery and Maternity Ward – thanks to the generosity of the late Sir Brian Bell and his Rotarian friends John Paton and Ernie Lohberger.
Mothers in the maternity ward will also see an ease in long queues for labour wards.
The Special Care Nursery and Maternity Ward was officially opened last Friday by Moresby Northwest MP Sir Mekere Morauta, who complimented the three men for their efforts in ensuring that the facilities were completed and fully fitted with equipment and furniture.
The facility boasts three nursery rooms for premature babies, including an isolation room for infants born with infections.
“The nursery is technically advanced, with full air-conditioning, doctors’ rooms, examination rooms, offices for staff, laboratories, two full kitchens fully outfitted, laundry with commercial washing machine, four bathrooms with multiple toilets and wash facilities.”
Sir Mekere said the wards were provided with a number of oxygen, filtered air and va­cuum outlets; the nursery had its own silent filtered air machinery built to hospital standards, six solar hot water systems were backed up by a gas hot water system donated by Origin gases, CCTV cameras fitted in each ward with one month memory back-up.
Rotary Australia donated a number of items including hospital beds, and members of the Port Moresby Rotary club donated 100 bassinets at a cost of K50,000.
The expansion of the labour ward with additional beds will ease the shortage of beds in the labour ward.
Lohberger and Paton were there to officially hand the keys over to the staff of the maternity wing.