The British High Commission in Papua New Guinea has donated K130,000 to help upgrade facilities at the St John Ambulance Headquarters in Port Moresby.
The funding provides for backup water supply, the construction of new laundry facilities and a new video conferencing system to allow better communication with St John’s regional operations.
The support aims to help St John Ambulance deliver its essential services while also tackling the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
St John’s Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Cannon, said: “The support from the British High Commission strengthens our resilience in response to the pandemic. It ensures enduring legacy.
“We identified where we had gaps in our capability to ensure adequate infection control could be maintained. The UK Government helped us put in place a solution to the problems we were facing. We are very thankful.
“The upgrade includes strengthening the ambulance headquarters water resilience so that there is sufficient water supply to disinfect ambulances, equipment and uniforms when there is a water outage in Port Moresby.”
British High Commissioner to PNG, Keith Scott, said: “I am delighted that, as part of the United Kingdom’s support to Papua New Guinea’s COVID-19 response, the British High Commission has been able to support St John Ambulance in its vital work – providing an ambulance service, prehospital and emergency health care throughout the country.”
(British High Commissioner Keith Scott and St John Ambulance CEO, Matthew Cannon, signing the Grant Agreement at St John Ambulance’s Headquarters in Port Moresby in January)