Ok Tedi Development Foundation

The food was presented to the hospital, for its inpatients. OTDF Executive Manager Program Services, Eric Kuman, delivered to the hospital 30 rice bags, containers of cooking oil, boxes of tinned fish and cartons of noodles.

Rumginae Hospital Medical Officer Dr Kevin Pondikou stated that the hospital has seen an increase in patients from 20 to 60 a day after the temporary closure of the Kiunga hospital. Dr Pondikou also said that Rumginae has a feeding capacity of no more than 20 patients because the facility can only provide a kilo of rice and a small tin of fish per week.

Rumginae, a church-run health facility in the North Fly district expressed their gratitude to the Foundation for donating food to feed impatients on 29 September comprising of 30 rice bags, containers of cooking oil, boxes of tinned fish and cartons of noodles.

Amono Asipali Secretary of the Evangelical Church of PNG (ECPNG) Church Health Services for North Fly thanked Ok Tedi Development Foundation (OTDF) for the food donation.

He stressed on how the partnership would strengthen support by development partners in the province towards church organizations.

A ground breaking ceremony was held last month in Aiambak, Middle Fly District, where the factory will sit to signal the commencement of construction expected to begin at the end of the year.

The initiative is part of the Ok Tedi Development Foundation’s (OTDF) Livelihood Development Package (LDP) program, a strategy to ensure sustainable economic activities continue well after the life of the mine. The program includes other products such as rice and eaglewood.

OTDF continues to assist the hospital as part of its contribution to community health development.

In 2016 alone, OTDF donated two computers to the hospital administration, recently installed new lighting for the hospital walkways and renovated the public toilet in the hospital car park area.

Contractors – Kiunga Electrical, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Services, and Ama Sa West – were engaged by OTDF to carry out the lighting and toilet works respectively.

This is part of Community Mine Continuation Agreement (CMCA) Extension Agreements and various compensation and benefit sharing agreements between comminutes, landowners and OTML.

According to the Mining and Petroleum Review (Vol. 4, Issue 3), over K40 million was paid to CMCA communities in August, while K9 million was paid to the Mine Village Development Funds, land lease and general compensation payments in September.

Earlier in the year (April) K15 million was paid out under the Ok Tedi Restated Eight Supplementary Agreement General Compensation to the communities.

Built at the Dudi Trust Region, Madire village jetty, which was opened last week, was funded through the OTML Tax Credit Scheme (TCS) at a total cost of K2.1 million.

Ok Tedi Development Foundation (OTDF), manager infrastructure development, George Kombe, says a total of K14.79 million through the TCS was approved to construct and upgrade five jetties in the South Fly Region.

The other four are; Sturt Island and Suki jetties in Suki Fly Gogo Region, Waliyama jetty in Manawete Trust Region, and Gesowa jetty in Kiwaba Trust Region, South Fly.