Rural hospitals need injection of equipment, professionals

National

By Moya Nina Iowa
THERE is a need for experienced surgeons and support staff, such as anesthetists and nurses, in rural hospitals where the majority of the population live, a senior medical officer says.
Gaubin Lutheran Hospital chief executive officer Dr Kiafuli Ogande told the Public Health Association of PNG forum in Port Moresby yesterday that many of the rural aid posts and hospitals needed surgical and anaesthesia experts.
He said they also needed equipment and manpower to provide healthcare services to the people.
Ogande said many rural hospitals had old and rundown facilities which often posed risks to patients.
He said some were operating without electricity and some faced communication issues.
Reliable telecommunication during emergencies was another hiccup, he said.
These are some of the challenges faced by health workers in remote health centres.
Ogande said those working conditions were frustrating for rural health workers which forced some to leave.
Ogande said in some cases, health centres and their staff had to improvise by resorting to textbooks on how to carry out their tasks and make do with equipment they had.