Sumkar people get new aid post

MORE than 20,000 people in the inland Sumkar in Madang now have access to an aid post to provide them basic health services.
People from Garup, Basken, Kurum, Abab, Nubno, Buid and Wasab Amal in the Bargam area of Sumgilbar local level government in Sumkar can receive health services from the Jiji aid post near Garup village. The Sumkar district development authority assisted the community with K50,000 to build the aid post.
Sumkar MP and DDA chairman Chris Nangoi opened the aid post on Monday.
Nangoi said health and education services were important for people living in remote areas.
He said he would ensure the aid post was equipped with medical drugs so patients could receive service at the village, instead of walking more than 20km to Mugil health centre.
Kenneth Makak, a village leader at Jiji, said parents had to carry their sick children and walked for hours to the North Coast Highway before catching a PMV to Mugil.
“Most times the PMVs wanted to make money so drivers and their crews give first preferences to vendors and when there’s space they get the sick people,” he said.
Makak said in emergency situations sick people hired PMVs for K100 to get to Mugil health centre.
“There is already several incidences where sick people have died on the way while walking to Mugil health centre,” he said.
Makak thanked Nangoi for assisting the people in building the aid post.
The old sub-health centre at Jiji funded by Madang Timbers and former Sumkar MP (now Madang governor Peter Yama) had been closed for 15-years.