By Colleen Barilae – EM TV News, Lae
Lae’s Angau Hospital Ward was busy this Christmas.
Staff at the hospital attend to approximately 800 births per year.
In the early hours of this morning, the ward recorded eight babies born.
Martha Joel, a young mother from Madang, shared her Christmas bundle of joy.
Roda Yex, another young mother from Morobe’s Nawaeb area, gave birth to a 4.2kg baby, the heaviest recorded this Christmas.
Angau’s Labour Ward Sister in Charge, Florence Nick, told us the number of babies born per year on Christmas Day has increased from less than 500 to over 800.
This year at least five mothers were assisted for birth every 24 hours.
Shortage of staff and limited number of beds is a problem in this ward.
Angau Hospital serves as a referral hospital in the province.
At its Labour ward, mothers come from as far as the Highlands region and the Sepik and Madang provinces to deliver babies.
So far, eight babies have been delivered this Christmas.
Their challenge has been the less number of beds available for mothers at its Antenatal ward and its Labour Ward.
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