The Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority (WHPHA) this week received some much needed medical equipment from the Bank of South Pacific to help treat patients at Mt Hagen Hospital.
The Bank’s Mt Hagen Branch donated ten oximeters valued at a total of K26,700 as well as a hand washing station which was set up at the front of Mt Hagen Urban Clinic and the Well Women’s Clinic at Mt Hagen Hospital.
The presentation of the oximeters and the handing over of the fully-set-up hand washing station took place at the hospital premises on 28th October 2020 and was done as part of the bank’s annual Community Projects Program.
Under this program, the bank provides community projects every year in areas it operates in throughout the country as well as in the neighbouring Pacific Island countries such as Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.
Branch Manageress, Theresa Pilamp, Area Manager for the Highlands, Reuben Elizah and other senior officials were present to deliver the oximeters and the hand washing station.
Mrs Pilamp said the funding of the community projects was undertaken by the bank’s 44 branches and sub-branches throughout the country and was an ongoing activity to give something back to the communities, particularly in the areas of health and education.
“This project and others that we have supported in the past show BSP’s commitment not only as the best financial service provider in the country but also to ensure our customers and stakeholders are well looked after at the community level”, she said.
Mrs Pilamp said this project was one of a number of projects the bank had carried out at the hospital including the donation of furniture for the Well Women’s Clinic three years ago and urged the staff and patients to use the facilities and equipment wisely in order to benefit from them.
She added that with the presence of Covid-19, the bank as part of its contribution towards efforts to stop the spread of the virus has set up three hand washing stations in Mt Hagen City and Kagamuga for people to use to protect themselves from catching the virus.
Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority’s Acting Director Clinical Network and Mt Hagen Hospital Manager, Jane Holden thanked BSP for its continued support for Mt Hagen Hospital.
She said the oximeters were very useful for clinicians to use on patients to determine the appropriate treatment for them and she was happy for the bank’s generous contribution. Oximeters are used to determine the amount of oxygen being carried in the blood.
“On behalf of the Chairman and Management of WHPHA, I thank BSP for its continued support and the staff who made this happen”, she said.
