“It has been said that crises bring out the best in people and certainly, that was the gesture shown by citizens and companies digging deep to support Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) which is critically in need of assistance”, said Chairman of the PMGH Mr Graham.
The Port Moresby General Hospital is experiencing a spike in patient numbers including those affected by COVID-19 and the hospital continues to operate amid these challenges while other Hospitals and Clinics in Port Moresby and elsewhere have either closed or scaled done on operations.
The “Friends of Port Moresby General Hospital” a non-profitable organization by a group of volunteers raised over K120,000 in cash and over K500,000 in kind to support the mission of the Hospital to provide quality health care and establish PMGH as a model Hospital in Papua New Guinea donated by 40 individuals and companies coming good to support the emergency appeal..
The group established in December 2020 by a group of volunteers, including Deputy Chairlady Kathy Johnston, Naarai Banam and Michelle Monsour, all women, recognized a need to supplement Government funding for the Hospital with the annual budget declining year on year.
They planned to tap into the generosity of companies and individuals, initially in Papua New Guinea and with the heightened COVID-19 surging through communities, the need for support was urgent.
Port Moresby General Hospital Board Chairman, Peter Graham thanked the leadership of Friends of Port Moresby General Hospital including the three generous women who volunteered to assist the Hospital.
“To deal with the COVID-19 cases, our Emergency Department has been reorganized and several wards reassigned and our dedicated staff have been amazing in dealing with the increased patient load and the threat of catching the virus and they are our heroes”, said Mr Graham.
Mr Graham added on saying that the testament to their commitment and dedication to caring for sick patients, staff continue to work despite the added risk of infection.
With some 140 of their colleagues down with the virus, the stress on those at work is unbearable. The Hospital is also providing support and resources to the Rita Flynn Isolation and Testing Facility and more recently the Aquatic Centre Facility.
Mr Graham said more can be done as the challenges of COVID-19 coupled with the base load of medical conditions is not expected to abate any time soon.
If you or your company can offer additional support, please do so by contacting the friendsofpomgen@gmail.com or Inbox through our Facebook page ‘FriendsofPOMGen’.
