MAISEN HUNGITO | My Land, My Country | Edited
KABWUM – Kabwum in the Morobe Province is my home district and I had been sent there to investigate medicine shortages.
While I was there, a man from Gilang village was put on a stretcher and carried to the road to be brought to Kabwum Health Centre on an open back Toyota Land Cruiser. The guy passed away.
The health centre had run short of medical supplies.
There were no antibiotics, painkillers, gloves and other common drugs and equipment to attend to patients and pregnant mothers.
When I walked into the dispensary at Kabwum Health Centre, I became very emotional because all the shelves were empty and patients were being sent away because there were no medical supplies.
The aid posts in the district also don’t have workers.
The staff were crying in their hearts. They didn’t know how they could attend to the patients.
They advised the sick that “there is no medicine” and the patients were sent back to their villages.
Last week a boy from Dengondo in the Selepet area died in the village. Health centre staff confirmed his death.
I spoke to one of the patients and he told me that many people are using traditional remedies because there is no medicine at the health centre.
Medicine shortages and the absence of health workers is a great concern in the district.
Lives are being lost every day.
Maisen Hungito is senior technician and cameraman at EMTV’s Lae Bureau