TB response plan launched in Kerema

Gulf is known for lagging behind the rest, in everything that happens in this country.
Social indicators, particular in health and education are the lowest, economic progress, miles behind, and access to basic government services, almost non-existent.
Gulf is one of the three hotspots for TB prevalence in the country. In launching of plans and ground breaking ceremonies, Gulf leads the country. Sadly, none of these plans and ground breakings have achieved the desired outcomes. Nobody in the province has benefitted from these elaborate and expensive ceremonies.
But this may come to a stop with the launching of the Gulf Emergence Tuberculosis (TB) Response plan on April 12 in Kerema. The plan is a collaboration between the Health department, Gulf Division of Health, national and international development partners including the gas and oil companies operating the province.
These partners include WHO, MSF, Oil Search Foundation, Total E & P, Oil Search and ExxonMobil.
Deputy Health Secretary Dr Paison Dakulala told the crowd at the launching that this was the first provincial TB response plan launched in the country in one of the three TB hotspots identified in the country.
The other two hotspots are National Capital District and Western Province. Dakulala said that the plan was implementable and should be able to achieve the desired outcomes if everyone did their jobs.
“We must just do it”, he encouraged everyone. Key implementation objectives are to ensure everybody is aware of the diseases (causes, signs and symptoms), that detection facilities and medication are readily available and that care-giving and support for the patients are visible.
At the launching, acting Gulf Governor, Charles Maiu and acting Provincial Administrator, James Hasu had one very clear message for the implementers of this plan.
“This plan must not be allowed to gather dust on somebody’s self in the provincial health office in Kerema. Every ward or village in the province must have access to detection facilities, medication and support and care-giving must be available to the patients when and where required.”
Hasu said after the launching that he would be compiling all divisional plans so there was coordination to ensure implementation to achieve desired outcomes.
The implementation of the plan will be coordinated from a central office in Kerema with district coordination offices in Kikori and Malalaua.
At the launching, Health department presented two brand new vehicles, two dinghies and outboard motors to assist with the implementation of the plan in the two districts.
Dakulala, when handing over the keys to the vehicles, pleaded with those in charge to ensure that the vehicles and the dinghies were used solely to implement the TB plan.
“These vehicles must not be used to take your families for shopping in Kerema or even to Port Moresby for weekends as has happened before. They must be solely used to strengthen our fight against TBin the province.”
The Gulf provincial government also pledged to support the implementation of the TB response plan with a K10 million commitment.
In making the commitment, Maiu said that the Haiveta-Maiu government has health and education as key priorities and would be supporting any activities which contributed to improve the health of the people of Gulf.