The West Taraka Urban Clinic in Lae stopped operations yesterday and will be closed for the next twelve months.
Officer in Charge (OIC) sister Elisabeth Mes said this is because the clinic will be undergoing upgrades. She stated that the current building will be demolished, and a new one will be built during the twelve months.
“For almost 19 years we served using this old building. There has been no maintenance or development until we stopped services today because our clinic will be upgraded.”
The building housing the clinic was originally a community hall and was later converted into a clinic.
There are currently eleven staff who work here, serving a population of over sixteen thousand people from East and West Taraka, Uni Block and other patients who also come from as far as Nadzab seeking treatment.
“Daily we see a total of one hundred to one hundred and fifty patients in the outpatient.”
Sr. Mes said staff will be posted to other urban clinics in Lae, and patients are also being advised to seek treatment from other clinics until the West Taraka Clinic reopens.
“My advice to the patients and communities in East Taraka, West Taraka, Speedway and Uni block is that the nurses will be at Buimo Clinic, Center of Mercy, Tent Siti, Malahang and Haikos, so that patients can go and get treatment from there.”
