Women’s health is Mola’s priority

I REFER to the letter “Conflict of interest in fight over PMC” (The National, Oct 14) by “Bilums” of Mt Hagen.
The writer blamed Prof Glen Mola for the failed health system, asked whose interest he was serving and his opposition to the Pacific Medical Centre (PMC).
The answer to the question is simple – Mola is busy looking after the women of Papua New Guinea.
Mola has done and is still doing a lot for the health of our women, training health professionals and has been calling for population control through family planning.
Medical professionals can only give advice and suggestions to the government on how to improve the health indicators of the country but everything depends on how much funding the government gives to carry out the programmes recommended.
The broken health system during the past 20 years the writer referred to was the result of successive governments turning a blind eye on health professionals’ advice and suggestions.
For the writer to shift the blame to health professionals is mean and degrading to health professionals like Mola and all the hard working health workers who are forced to work with very limited resources.
PNG has one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the Asia-Pacific region and the overall status of our hospitals is poor.
The writer and others who support the PMC and the critics of Mola should try and convince the rest of PNG how PMC can improve the health indicators.
Will the government improve the run-down health infrastructure, provide funds for doctors and health workers to go run the antenatal and vaccination clinics in the rural areas where more than 80% of our women and children live, and who contribute to the bulk of the maternal and infant deaths?
Specialist women doctors trained by Mola and his team are looking forward to visit the rural areas to manage the clinics but they cannot do that due to lack of funds, and the frequent shortage of medical supplies.
Maybe the writer can afford to bring his or her relatives from Mt Hagen to PMC in Port Moresby.
But what about a woman in Jimi who is struggling to reach a health facility to have her baby delivered?
I suggest the writer visit the health centres in Jimi or Kambia to see how many are functioning or go to the Mt Hagen General Hospital and see how many women come from the outer districts of Western Highlands and other provinces to have their babies delivered despite the run-down facilities.
Mola is serving the interests of PNG women living in rural areas so that they can have a normal pregnancy.
Mola receives reports from all provinces of all women who have died from giving birth so maybe this will enlighten the writer how much stress Mola and senior specialist women doctors are going through to improve our women’s health.
The pro-PMC group must explain how PMC can reduce the high maternal and infant mortality rates.
Otherwise, let’s improve the existing health infrastructures and support programmes that will have a direct impact on more than 90% of Papua New Guineans living in the rural areas.

Frank Apamumu
Port Moresby