The Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority (WHPHA) this week received a donation of K15,000 from a kind-hearted Non-Government Organisation (NGO) to help with its preparations for the onslaught of the Corona virus in the province.
Lesfordlati Health Promoting Foundation Inc., a Mt Hagen-based NGO which assists and promotes health and church activities in Western Highlands and elsewhere made the donation during a small ceremony at Mt Hagen Hospital on 21st April 2020.
The Public Officer for the Foundation, Mrs Yank Rut said when presenting the cheque that she was a patient who visited Mt Hagen Hospital regularly for treatment and had decided to help after learning of its struggles to build proper facilities to prevent the spread of the virus.
“I am not a big businesswoman but I am a Christian and I have conviction to help the hospital. I usually come to the Emergency Department and see Dr McKup to help me and now I see you are in need so I have decided to help”, she said.
Mrs Rut said corona virus was a serious disease that needed a concerted effort from all sectors of the community to prevent its spread and urged everyone, especially business houses and Members of Parliament from the province to help.
The Acting Chief Executive Officer for the WHPHA, Ms Jane Holden told Mrs Rut that there were many things that the PHA needed to do to contain the virus but funding was a major obstacle and the donation by the Foundation was very much appreciated.
“There are wide range of things we have to spend money on to help the community, districts and council wards and your donation will absolutely help us to meet these needs – examples are preparing health information sheets, buying personal protective equipment, extra fuel for the community awareness programme”, she said.
Other members of the WHPHA COVID-19 Task force including Emergency Physician, Dr John Junior McKup and Director Population Health, Mr Benson Safi also expressed their gratitude and thanked Mrs Rut for the kind gesture.
The donation is the first by a private organisation. Others whose donations have already been spent include Western Highlands Provincial Government K200,000, Member for Tambul/Nebilyer and his people K20,000 and the National Government through the Health Service Improvement Program K200,000.
The Member for Hagen Open and Minister for Commerce and Industry, Hon William Duma has advised that the Hagen City Authority has approved a sum of K 400,000 as its contribution towards the costs of managing the Corona virus pandemic which is also gratefully received and of huge importance to the PHA in moving purposely forward in implementing its plans.
