by Stanley Ove Jr – EM TV, Port Moresby
Lese Oalai Aid Post in the Kerema LLG of Gulf Province is in need of assistance from the government. For years, the aid post has been serving over 7,000 people from the East Kerema LLG, including people from Apanaipi in Central Province.
Over the past 10 months, the aid post has been helping mothers deliver babies in the dark with the use of battery-powered torches and mobile phone lights. Proper storage for immunisation vaccines for children and anti-venom treatments for snake bites has been a long problem for the health facility.
Unlike some rural aid posts in the country, it is not isolated from urban areas of Gulf Province but has been ignored by the government for the past 24 months.
While the physical infrastructure of the clinic is in a good state, other necessities like water, electricity and medical support staff are the clinic’s main problems.
Yesterday, oil and gas company InterOil presented to the aid post the country’s first ever solar energy-powered vaccination fridge. InterOil Community Affairs Manager Thomas Kevaro said the company is obliged to deliver its services to the communities the company is engaging with.
While this may not be enough to solve all the problems of the aid post, Albertine Morola said the aid post must be upgraded to a district health centre to allow the aid post to be upgraded with all the necessary equipment and assets.
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