A new disease control centre at Kokoda Station will play a frontline role in detecting and treating tuberculosis (TB), HIV and malaria in local communities.
The centre, the first of its kind in Northern Province, was funded by Rotary New South Wales, with assistance from the Australian Government through its Kokoda Initiative development partnership with PNG.
It will serve a population of more than 16,000 people on the northern half of the Kokoda Track.
A similar health centre, constructed by the Kokoda Initiative at Sogeri last year, serves communities on the southern side of the track.
Like the Sogeri clinic, the Kokoda Station facility is a fully equipped laboratory, enabling testing for key diseases, including HIV and TB.
It manages patients with follow-up visits and monitors TB medication compliance to safeguard against the development of drug resistant strains.
The centre is located away from the main Kokoda Memorial Hospital to minimise the risk of infected patients passing diseases onto others.
Australian High Commission program manager, Veronika Damena, said: “This new building has been designed to meet the PNG National Health Service standards which reflect the Papua New Guinea Government’s intention to transform the health system, improve primary health care and deliver improved services for the rural majority and urban disadvantaged.”
The opening of the centre coincided with a three-day meeting between Hiri and Sohe district health officials, and representatives of the Kokoda Initiative and Australian High Commission.
(Officials at the opening of the Kokoda Station Disease Control Centre.)
