Rural mothers lack antenatal and postnatal care

MANY mothers living in the remote areas of Papua New Guinea lack proper antenatal and post-natal care, resulting in many dying before and after childbirth, a doctor says.
Dr Rebecca Williams, the medical superintendent of the Kompiam District Hospital in Enga, said they were working on a MeriLift programme initiated by medicine lecturer Dr David Mills to help pregnant women in remote parts be airlifted to hospital.
It should be within a 30-minute flying radius of Kompiam, covering Enga, parts of East Sepik, Middle Ramu and Jiwaka.
“One such area is the Mengamanau village (near the) border between Madang, Enga and Western Highlands,” she said.
“The programme will help pregnant women access primary care, family planning and emergency medical retrieval.”
Williams said they were exploring ways to retrieve, treat and return pregnant women and hope to achieve it if funding was available.
“The programme started in 2011 with medical patrols.
“And we noticed the struggles of people there but no resources to help (them),” she said.
“Pregnant women in remote areas walk for days and sometimes weeks to reach the nearest health center to deliver their babies.
“Some walk in during their eighth month of pregnancy. Some are carried on bamboo coats across rivers and up mountains to the hospital by family members when complications arise.
Dr Camy Thomas said the women were accommodated at the hospital’s “waiting house” until delivery time.
And after delivery, they would return home on foot, or “fly on a Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) plane if they can afford to”.
“The MAF through its partnership with the hospital has been assisting to medevac pregnant women to Kompiam for delivery,” Thomas said.
Mobile network coverage is not available everywhere in the country so they are mostly contacted by high frequency radio installed in every aid post.