The fighting in the Porgera Valley of Enga province has seen a lot of people displaced and services disrupted including the hospital in Porgera, however, with the two-month State of Emergency (SOE) in place, this vital service is now being provided from the provincial capital, Wabag.
Wabag town will now be the main centre for all medical supplies to be transported to the Porgera valley to provide medical services to the people needing it after the hospital there had to close its doors.
This was revealed by Acting Health Minister and Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources Jelta Wong when PNG HAUSBUNG had a chat with him yesterday. He said under the SOE they have started moving medicines up to Porgera and are prepared to overcome any challenges that may arise.
Minister Wong stated that the health team will work together with the person in charge of operations on ground in Porgera to coordinate the supply of all the medical supplies sent from Wabag.
He also said that the safety of the health workers is paramount, and they need to prioritize their safety as well when they are on ground carrying out their duties.
“We as the health department, we really need to ensure the safety of our emergency workers, and we need to work together with the police and army, where the security aspect of things come in.”
Meantime, the minister was unable to confirm the number of casualties and deaths due to not having the information on hand.