The Central Provincial Government and St John Ambulance is holding talks to subsidize transport cost of vital ambulatory services in the province.
Acting Central Provincial Administrator, Francis Koaba confirmed that the provincial government is in close consultation with SJA to fund transportation cost of services.
“Governor Robert Agarobe and St. John Ambulance CEO, Matt Cannon have been having conversations, so we are looking at subsiding transport cost. Talk is still in progress and we are looking at subsiding the cost in due course,” Mr Koaba said.
Last month, the St. John Ambulance reached out to Governor Agarobe to see how the province could support them with an ambulance to attend to emergency cases, after the ambulance service attended to a high number of COVID-19 cases in the province.
In a recent press release, St. John Ambulance said: “The Central Province has always depended on St. John Ambulances to reach hospitals in Port Moresby. Usually, ambulance services retrieved three to four patients per day from Central Province, for emergency cases such as trauma, snakebite and childbirth”.
Mr Koaba told this newsroom that Central is distinctive because the province does not have a fully-fledged hospital like other provinces and that is why serious cases are transported to the Port Moresby General Hospital for medical services.
He was speaking during a press conference this morning at the Central Provincial Government Office.