Rural areas in need of nurses

 BIRTH complications in remote areas cost lives of women and their babies but are largely ignored by authorities, according to Kanengara sub-health centre nurse Remmie Luvakase.

She said a 24-year-old mother from Krosmeri in Angoram, who recently gave birth to two premature twins, died three days later from birth complications. The mother had been subjected to an unsupervised delivery and suffered from loss of blood and a retained placenta.

Her relatives brought her to the health centre after travelling for two days by canoe and boat. She passed away before she could be airlifted to the Boram General Hospital.

“The death was preventable if there were health services in the village,” she said.

“I wonder why there are no health centres in such remote areas and why all midwives are based in the towns.

“Here we are handicapped, losing a lot of lives (which go) unnoticed and unreported.”

Luvakase is the only nurse from another province serving the people of Kanengara village in East Sepik.