Rural health services in PNG need to be seriously addressed.
I wonder how long these gentlemen walked carrying this patient to the rural health facility? Would there even be a staff there to fully manage the patient? What if the patient needs to be referred for further treatment?
I just finished an hour ago, with managing a female epileptic 10 year old child at an aid post in the Gulf Province, remotely via phone because the CHW had my number and called me for medical advise on how to manage the patient.
She called me, discussed the patient and to cover us both, I had to contact a Paediatrician in Kimbe to confirm the management, call the CHW back, give her advise on how to treat the patient and then contacted the management team at the Gulf PHA to send an ambulance for the patient and I work in Kimbe.
Thank God the patient stopped fitting after the treatment and the ambulance should be on its way to pick up the patient for further appropriate treatment.
Why is it so difficult to get services to the rural areas right? Why is the process so convoluted that someone in Kerema calls someone not in the Province for assistance? Why are we not able to provide the most basic of health care services to the remote rural majority in this country?
We need to get this right to prevent unnecessary deaths and save money on med-e'vac and referrals.