The Saint Mary’s Vunapope Hospital in Kokopo East New Britain Province will be undergoing a major renovation this year.
Most of the hospital patients have moved to other provincial clinics and centers to allow for building contractors to start work on the deteriorating parts of the hospital first.
The maintenance and rehabilitation will go on for at least a year and a half and will cost K1 million in total for works to go down in the hospital laboratory, dental surgery, dispensary and the pharmacy as well as hospital administration and accounts offices.
The rehabilitation will cover small. to medium sized projects such as Accident & Emergency (AE) outpatient extension and administration upgrade.
The hospital has been in major need for funding of which the last they were given money to fund the hospital renovations was by Sir Peter Barter under the 2006 health supplementary budget.
The K1 million given this year to the hospital is from the Department of Health under its funded health projects.
There is also need for more improved medical equipment, more additional wards and other infrastructures to support the need for proper medical services right in the middle of the rowing town of Kokopo.