A cancer patientoMrs. Janet Yaki, has called for more support for people living as Ostomates inthe country.
Ostomates are people who live with a stoma, an illieostomy (cancer in small intestine), urostomy (cancer inthe ureters) or colostomy (cancer in large intestine).
Mrs. Yaki saysthe only machine, a colonscope which is located at Port Moresby General Hospital, is no longer working. A colonscope is used to diagnosethe type and extent ofthe cancer in patients. Currently doctors are unable to diagnose patients properly which causes a problem with administering treatment.
She officially launched an association last Saturday calledthe Papua New GuineaStoma Association; one of its goals is to raise awareness on this form of cancer. The association also has been established to assist Ostomates in obtaining ostomy care products, which can only be obtained overseas at a high cost.
Mrs Janet Yaki is an ostomate, meaning she has had a surgical operation to create an opening inthe body for the discharge of body waste, this opening is called a stoma. She lives with a colostomy and wears a bag or pouch that collectsthe waste.
She was diagnosed in 2009 with cancer ofthe lower colon orthe rectum.
Mrs. Yaki says she was fortunate to undergo surgery in Taiwan atthe Chang-Hua Christian Hospital, to removerthe cancer, but ther suffers aren’t so lucky.
Her experience has led her to start up this association, and it was throughthe process of setting upthe association that she came upon ther ostomates atthe Port Moresby General Hospital. There are twenty little children who were born without an anus. These little children do not have colostomy bags or pouches to covertheir stoma. They use towel nappies or pieces of cloth to covertheir stoma which can lead to infections. Throughthe Papua New GuineaStoma Association, Mrs. Yaki has made it her mission to obtain colostomy bags for these needy children. These bags can only be ordered from overseas.
Duringthe launching ofthe association, Rotary Beroko donated boxes of colostomy products. Papua New GuineaStoma Association will continue its work for all Ostomates in Papua New Guinea to make sure that those who cannot afford colostomy bags are suppllied through throughthe association.
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