ONE AMBULANCE SERVING NCDPHA’s 24 HOUR HEALTH FACILITIES

By Vonu LIBITINO

Port Moresby has only three health facilities that are open 24 hours a day and these are the new Metoreia Urban Health Clinic (HC), the 6 Mile Polyclinic and the Gerehu General Hospital.

And of these three health facilities, only one has an ambulance for emergency cases or to transport patients.

This from the Acting Chief Executive Officer (A/CEO) of the National Capital District Provincial Health Authority (NCDPHA), Dr Robin Oge.

Dr Robin Oge says the NCDPHA has only one internal ambulance and this is at the Gerehu General Hospital.

He says this ambulance is used primarily for transporting critical patients who need referral from Gerehu Hospital’s Emergency to Port Moresby General Hospital’s Emergency.

The A/CEO of the NCDPHA says the Metoreia Urban HC has a fully equipped National St John Ambulance stationed there.

With plans to open up additional 24-hour health facilities in the NCDPHA, Dr Oge says the need for ambulances becomes critical.

It is on this note that he says the NCDPHA will continue to work closely with the National St John Ambulance, in the case of emergency or transport of patients.