Winnie’s family sit on their veranda today, grieving over the death of their only daughter.
She died of cancer on Wednesday.
This is a picture of Winnie Solien on her twenty first birthday; she died at the age of 37, leaving behind her husband and eight children.
Her mother, Kwalimo Taukarai, says her daughter could have been saved if she had received treatment earlier.
“We thought she will go to Lae, come back, and survive,” says her mother.
Winnie had travelled with her husband Gary Solien to Lae for treatment whilst she was in the early stage of her battle with cervical cancer, however she had to wait for two months, before she started treatment.
Gary has called on the Health Minister, Michael Malabag, and the Health Secretary, Pascoe Kase, to fix the problem.
Gary says his wife was put on radiotherapy and treated by two trainees after a month of delay’s.
The Lae Cancer Treatment Facility does not have a Chief Oncologist, Gary describes the state of the Angau treatment facility is appalling.
The chronic neglect of the Lae cancer facility is going to cost more lives.
Currently, there are 25 patients waiting to undergo radiotherapy, but without an oncologist they can’t complete their treatment.
