Samaritan Aviation to provide services in remote Ambunti

By GYNNIE KERO
SAMARITAN Aviation will provide services, including delivery of medical supplies, into the remote parts of Ambunti in the Ambunti-Dreikikir district, co-founder and president Mark Palm says.
District MP Johnson Wapunai, when handing over a cheque for K250,000 in Wewak recently, said his people were badly in need of the services provided by Samaritan Aviation which has amphibians.
Wapunai said: “Most people in our inland areas such as May River, Hunstein Range, some places in West Sepik and Angoram do not have access to roads so infant mortality rate is very high.
“Travelling down from Sepik River takes us a day or two to bring a patient to the nearest hospital. I will make it my business to make sure I continue to help fund the aviation (Samaritan Aviation).”
According to Samaritan Aviation, infant mortality rates in the Sepik region are often as high as 40 per cent.
Nearly 80 per cent of its flights deals with pregnancy or disease-related patients.