Ywam praised for filling healthcare gap

Islands

COMMUNITIES in Pomio district, East New Britain, have embraced health services offered by the Ywam medical ship as accessibility to vital health services is a daily challenge.
Pomio administrator Peter Peniat said the district was one of those in the province where health services were not accessible daily because of its remoteness.
He gave two ambulances last week for the Ywam team to use.
The team saw more than 200 patients at Rali with more than 100 immunised and 100 receiving primary health care.
The patients came from Kaiton, Muu, Rano, Matong, Sereguna, Rowan, Iauiau, Pomai and Uvol villages.
Some of the babies had never been vaccinated.
At Lau aid post, the most reported cases were chronic back aches, especially, from the adults who had worked in oil palm plantations.
Some of them said they worked without proper safety gear resulting in infected wounds and other problems caused by chemicals.
Poro-Salel ward councillor in West Pomio Mamusi LLG Ignatius Batei, who had his teeth extracted, said he was pleased with the Ywam team’s work in the rural communities.
He said accessibility to health services was a daily challenge and going to Nonga Hospital was expensive because of boat fares, accommodation costs and other expenses in Kokopo.
He said aid post in the area often ran out of medicines.