PNG Accident & Emergency Units Need Help

By Jaive Smare

Pic: Thanks....Treasurer for the PNG Women Doctors Association Dr Helen Emang accepts cheque from Petromin's Senior Community Affairs Officer while Dr Evelyn Lavu, President of the Association looks on.

The Accident & Emergency Unit of hospitals across Papua New Guinea lack many basic equipment that could ease the suffering and prevent the possible deaths of patients who arrive there.
President of the Women Doctors Association of Papua New Guinea Dr Evelyn Lavu said the A&E unit are the primary care department for hospitals, however because A&E units of hospitals nationwide lack vital equipment such as defibrillators, automatic ventilation and CPR machines, oxygen, intravenous lines, fluids and emergency drugs, patients ultimately suffer.
In order to rectify this situation, the association has been campaigning since June this year to raise funds for the purchase of necessary A&E equipment for all hospitals in the country.
The association recently campaigned for three years to raise awareness and funds for radiotherapy re-establishment in PNG.
Radiotherapy has been absent from the country for over 10 years after the Radiotherapy machine at the Angau Memorial Hospital in Lae, Morobe Province broke down.
This has meant that many cancer victims have died without radiotherapy treatment that could have saved their lives.
In the end, the association’s campaign raised several millions of kina and secured government support from health department and a K3 million allocation in the national supplementary budget (2007) for the re-establishment of the Radiotherapy Unit at Angau Hospital.
“We were so happy to see the supplementary budget with the commitment by the Government towards the re-establishment of the Radiotherapy in Angau Memorial Hospital.” Dr Levu said.
Now the association is turning its focus on the A&E Units.
Dr Levu made her comments when she was presented with a K1,500.00 cheque from Petromin PNG Holdings Ltd.
The cheque was presented by Petromin’s Acting Senior Community Affairs Officer, Mr Aria Pula on Monday August 17.
Mr Pula said Petromin was in its start-up phase but in the future it will become more involved with associations such as the PNG Women’s Doctors Association.

Mr Pula encouraged everyone in the country to support the work of the PNG Womens Doctor Association.

If you would like to help the PNG Women Doctors Association contact Dr Levu through email: evelynlavu@daltron.com.pg