The Government needs to remember that there are other provinces apart from Port Moresby.
Testing kits, personal protective equipment and other medical supplies take a while to reach Morobe Province – PNG’s industrial hub and the most populous region in the country.
Morobe Provincial Health Authority chairman, David Wissink, said the other 21 centres of PNG and the autonomous region are not getting the same attention as Port Moresby. This leads to a delayed response in COVID-19 surveillance and monitoring.
“My one suggestion is for people to remember that most of Papua New Guinea is not in Port Moresby,” he stated. “We have 21 other provinces and an autonomous region to look after so we need to make sure that everybody has the same access to testing, PPE and later on, the vaccines that are coming in.”
Wissink said it is their perception that supplies and equipment must be fairly distributed across the country as all provincial health authorities are suffering the impact of COVID-19.
(A picture of family members mourning the passing of a loved one at ANGAU)