By Vasinatta Yama – EM TV News, Port Moresby
The fight to eradicate Tuberculosis and Malaria in Papua New Guinea is still continuing.
Health Secretary, Pascoe Kase, said the Department can now concentrate on the TB fight, with its own budget of K8million this year.
PNGs Health Department is also trialling programs to eradicate Malaria in the small Islands of Papua New Guinea, before extending to the Provinces.
In two weeks’ time, a delegation from the Health Department and its partner, the World Health Organisation, will visit the Western Province to see how the fight against TB is progressing.
Since Western Province has the highest prevalence rate of Multi-drug resistant TB, Kase strongly suggested that doctors and nurses must be on the ground to do their job without any distraction.
On that same note, control programs set up by the health department and extractive industries and plantations to eradicate Malaria has already begun in Lihir Island, New Ireland Province.
Such prevention methods include using treated mosquito nets and indoor spraying.
Kase said that malaria is still a major health challenge for PNG and the Health Department has more work to do.
In general, Kase said the challenge to deliver excellent health service, lies in the hands of the health workers, public hospitals and rural health services.
He is also encouraging the Provincial and Local Level Government throughout PNG to do more awareness and support the work of the health department.
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