Wakunai sub-health centre opens house

COMMUNITIES living in Wakunai district, Central Bougainville, can look forward to improved health facilities following the opening of a new staff house for the Ruruvu sub-health centre.
The new staff accommodation is the first phase of an existing infrastructure upgrading programme of the United church Bougainville Region Health Services, which is supported by PNG Sustainable Development Program Ltd (PNGSDP).
PNGSDP chief programme officer Camillus Midire was in Ruruvu recently with a delegation from the company to launch the staff accommodation and visit other projects in the area, such as the road upgrade and mini hydro project.
The new staff accommodation is phase one of the project that has been completed. 
Other existing buildings at the sub-health centre will be maintained in the coming months.
Funding for this programme is provided by PNGSDP.  
PNGSDP is providing similar support to other major churches in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.
Ruruvu Health Centre chairman Joel Kessy thanked PNGSDP for the support.
“We are pleased to received such support and thank PNGSDP.” 
Midire said PNGSDP was pleased to support the work of churches in the region and the project was the communities’ own initiative as they set their own priorities and work through their respective churches.
“In Bougainville, we have a big programme that supports the work of churches, where the churches and the communities identify projects, set their own priorities and we support these.” 
The Ruruvu sub-health centre is a United church-run health centre established in 1983.
The health centre serves a population of 5,420 people and treats an average of 50 to 100 patients per week for diseases such as malaria, cough and various skin diseases.
Both the construction of the staff house and the maintenance of the wards will boost the morale of staff in their efforts to providing improved health services to the local people.