by Rachel Shisei – EM TV News, Madang
A mother from the Asarumba Care Centre is said to have lost her baby who was just one week old, due to the dire situation currently taking place at the Manam Island Care Centres. Another man, a father of two, is also said to have passed away, after falling ill and failing to recover.
Several others have fainted, and these include a Grade Eight female student and two elderly women of 65 and 70 years of age respectively. Of the three care centres, the Mangem Care Center is said to be having more people fainting from starvation, to which the exact number is yet to be confirmed.
Doreen Kaut Jong, the officer in charge of the Asarumba Centre says the people are not sick; they are simply hungry and falling unconscious. She says that she cannot put them on medication due to their condition.
In a recent interview with the Madang Provincial Administrator, Daniel Aloi, relief supplies were going to be delivered as soon as possible.
“As I’m speaking now the relief efforts are being work on now to see if we could get it across to the Manams quickly,” Aloi had said.
Relief help is yet to be delivered though, and according to the Provincial Disaster Office funds are yet to be accessed from the governor’s office to make the deliveries happen. Those who are most affected at this time are the children, the very elderly, and breast-feeding mothers.
