Villagers celebrate launch of sea ambulance

 Koil Island on the east of Wewak in East Sepik came alive with colour, singsing groups, choirs and displays to launch the million-kina sea ambulance and two floating jetties on Friday.

The jetties are for the far-flung Schoutern Islands off Wewak.

Wewak MP Jim Simatab launched the facilities  much to the delight of the islanders, who have been struggling to access health care and treatment at the Koil Island Health Centre.

The centre, run by the Seventh- day Adventist Church, will take charge of the boat to conduct its mobile clinics and assist in the evacuation of the sick from Biem, Kadawar, Ruprup, Wei, Vokeo and Koil Islands.

Officer-in-charge of the Koil Health Centre Esther Kange thanked Simatab, Wewak district chief executive officer Ricky Wobar and the board of directors for the sea ambulance.

Kange said their regular mother and child health clinics and other outreach programmes using small dinghies had been dictated by sea  and weather conditions.

“With this new ambulance, I will now be able to spend a week each month conducting clinics on all the islands,” Kange said. 

 “The boat will help in bringing very sick people from the islands to the health centre and take them back home when they are discharged. 

“We used to have patients who waited for days and weeks to get back home,” Kange said.

Simatab, who is the Correctional Service Minister, said he would use part of the K2 million provided by the Government for health this year to add to the existing facilities – a TB and HIV/AIDS ward, a labour ward, septic toilets and solar lights.

He said Wewak district was partnering churches to deliver health services and thanked the Seventh-day Adventist Church for its commitment.

Simatab said a similar sea ambulance would be delivered to the Wewak Islands of Mushu, Kairiru, Wallis and Tarawai.