Pacific Health Assurance (PHA) has helped two health workers with nursing background to access specialist medical care valuing K33,000 which normally would be beyond their reach.
It was announced at a media conference, that PHA has helped many patients already in accessing specialist medical care; its biggest client the PNG Nursing Association and its members.
Pacific Health Assurance understands the situation in PNG where patients struggle to access essential medical care especially specialist medical care.
A couple of PHA’s policyholders with the PNG Nurses Association shared their stories.
Joe Korowa has had problems with his spine and needed an MRI scan. His fortnightly contribution to PHA will now cover this medical expense.
“I’m from Western Highlands, currently working with Port Moresby General Hospital. I have a spinal problem and then I have no finance to meet the cost of MRI, and firstly I would like to thank PHA for helping me and pay my bills. So it’s lucky that we have PHA who is in charge of Nursing Association contribution 75% we are contributing to PHA and PHA is doing much better than how we can do,” said Korowa.
Health worker Jackson Appo is a Provincial Disease Control Officer in Eastern Highlands. He was diagnosed with a hip injury and needed a hip replacement. Since the procedure was not available in country, he had to raise funds to go overseas.
“I didn’t know, although I’m a member of PHA, I didn’t know that PHA...I forgot all about it until one of my friends told me that, ‘are you a member of PHA? In addition, I said of course yes! In addition, he said, you should at least check with them. So January of this year I came down to Port Moresby for some other business and I call him. Moreover, I met, I went to PHA and I met a guy called Mathias Topeasa and he explained everything to me…And I was very happy. I went home and I was maintaining communication with him,” said Appo.
Appo’s family raised K80,000 for him and his wife to travel overseas to get a hip replacement. He just returned.
PHA reimbursed Appo’s medical bills within policy limits. Meanwhile Korowa’s MRI expense has been paid and he can get the necessary medical attention.