SNAKE BITE DEATHS & DISEASES RISE IN REMOTE ABAU DISTRICT

A CONCERN health officer in the remote Abau district of Central province has raised alarms of deadly and rare snake bite diseases and deaths are common and continuously increasing in the province.

Officer-In-Charge Lucas Arodi of Iruna Health Centre, located along the coast of Magarida Station of the Amazon Bay Local Level Government of the Abau district has deeply expressed that due to the shortage of anti-venom medical supplies and drugs, has led to many of their patients lost their lives every year.

Serving up to 50 000 rural population, both the villages found along the coast and inland, OIC Arodi also shared that lack of basic government services and have denied their access to basic health services and medical equipment for treatments.

He also added that other communicable and non-communicable diseases like malaria, Tubeclousis are spreading at the peak levels and claiming lives of rural people, every day.

Mr Arodi shared that coastal villages are known for the venomous snakes and even malaria patients cannot be treated, due to shortage of medication.

“This LLG, the Amazon Bay is one of the remote places in the Central province,” Mr Arodi told FM 100 News.

“Our only mode of transportation is by sea and that is making our everyday lives, very hard.

“Me and my wife have been serving this health center for years, but it is very sad to see lives lost everyday.

“It could be at the Clinic or on our way reaching Kupiano or Milne Bay, people are losing lives.”

Mr. Arodi called on the Abau MP Sir Puka Temu to look into his districts more effectively.

He also thanked the current government for the Connect PNG program, that will ease some burdens off, when the Central and Milne Bay link is finally opened for use.