Supporting the Rita Flynn Isolation and Testing Centre, an Emergency Appeal is out for business houses and organizations to help in kind especially with basic items like face masks, gloves, bed sheets, pillowcases, dry goods, fruits and vegetables, bulk disinfectants and other basic and vital items.
With the recent surge in the COVID-19 cases in the Nation’s Capital, the Port Moresby General Hospital in partnership with ‘Friends of POMGEN’ have reorganized the Emergency Department and essential services to cater for the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Port Moresby General Hospital CEO, Dr Paki Molumi said initially when Rita Flynn was opened up, many of the business houses came in to assist in a big way which helped run the facility in terms of support with linens, food, containers, refrigerated containers and much support that came in from business houses.
He said as part of the COVID-19 response towards the end of last year, there was an MOU signed with the NCD Provincial Health Authority so that they could take care of the mild and moderate cases and those patients that needed to be isolated, whilst Port Moresby General Hospital managed the severe cases only.
“So that worked really well for us and when the numbers slowed down, we decided to shut down Rita Flynn”, said Dr Molumi.
However, Dr Molumi said now with the surge in the virus, the number of cases at the Port Moresby General Hospital had increased so they are currently taking the load that Rita Flynn catered for before it was shut down.
“So we are opening up Rita Flynn again to take care of the mild and the moderate and some cases that have been isolated at home and will be looked after at the Rita Flynn whilst we wait for funding to come”, said Dr Molumi.
He said the facility needs to be up and running immediately so that it will take the load off the Port Moresby General Hospital so that the Hospital can continue to provide the normal services only.
The Port Moresby General Hospital is the only Hospital with the Public Labour Ward which caters the entire city plus the Central Province and parts of Gulf as well and also provides 24 hours Emergency Services as well as 24 hours Operating Theatres like no other hospital.
“So we cannot afford to allow our staff extra stress in trying to manage COVID-19 so we have to offload the mild and the moderate cases to Rita Flynn so that we continue to provide the normal services”, added Dr Molumi.
Dr Molumi said the appeal to business houses is similar to what they did initially to set up Rita Flynn so POMGEN continues to operate normally in providing services.
If you would like to help donate in cash or kind, you can kindly email: friendsofpomgen@gmail.com