The opening of the new state-of-the-art Accident & Emergency facility for Hela hospital will help in increasing the standard in the quality of care offered to patients in the province.
The upgrade of the A&E department is part of the return investment into the province by Oil Search and continued by Santos after the recent companies’ merger, and is demonstrative of the value of great public-private partnership in service delivery to the local people.
Santos Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Gallagher revealed that they have invested K8 million into the upgrade of the facility.
The facility is an eight-bed in-patient ward that comprises of two resuscitation beds, three acute beds, three non-acute beds, three consultation rooms, an isolation area, and is fully-equipped.
A definite upgrade from the old facility that was a five-bed outpatient ward that catered also for emergency cases.
Hela hospital serves the entire province and information from the provincial health authority states the hospital treats up to 3000 patients a month, 300 of which are seen or admitted through the A&E department.
The Hela provincial hospital will be redeveloped at the cost of K310 million and is part of the Government’s plan to rehabilitate hospitals in the country. Hela provincial hospital is among five other provincial hospitals approved for immediate development.
Others include Gulf, West New Britain, Southern Highlands, Western and Central.
Prime Minister Marape last Friday, February 22 commended Oil Search and Santos for initiating and continuing the partnership that has resulted in the construction and completion of the hospital wing.
PM Marape said Hela was a new province, having only been given its provincial status, but even while it was part of Southern Highlands, the people of Hela have not received services commensurate to the level of resource developments that have taken place over the last 30 years since 1990 when the first resource was harvested.
“These people have been tolerant of us, they have been living without good services since 1990/1989 when resources were first harvested from this place,” he said.
“Sometimes I am embarrassed that we were not able to deliver what our people fully deserve. We have Hides gas, Kutubu oilfield, Moran field, Juha gas field, Angore gas fields are all within the vicinity of Hela.”
The Prime Minister led a team of dignitaries who flew into Hela last Friday to officiate at the joint opening and ground breaking of redevelopment of Hela provincial hospital witnessed by the management and staff of the hospital and the people of Hela.
