PNG to have Free heart treatment

PEOPLE with heart problems in Papua New Guinea will now able to receive free and improved treatment in the country, starting early next year, a medical official says.
Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi said heart patients would no longer need to travel overseas for treatment and the country would save more money in terms of travel and medical costs.
He spoke on Friday when Kumul Petroleum Holdings Ltd (KPHL) donated K3 million worth of specialist medical equipment for the hospital’s cardiac surgery unit.

Dr Molumi said the open heart operation, scanning and other programme would be fully implemented next month.
“These machines will put people to sleep, scan their heart to identify problems and be used for surgery,” he said.
“It costs about K150,000 to K200,000 for a stent operation overseas, but through this support, we should be able to save the lives of our ordinary people here.”
A stent is a tiny tube placed into a hollow structure in your body. This structure can be an artery, a vein, or another structure such as the tube that carries urine (ureter). The stent holds the structure open.
KPHL managing director Wapu Sonk said the delivery of the equipment comprises of five electro-cardiogram machines, and support machines.
Sonk said the help given was based on an agreement signing last year to support and improve the PMGH heart centre financially for five years.
He said KPHL purchased the equipment after consultation with specialists at PMGH.
Sonk said the organisation noted that through the support towards the hospital, it had completed 200 angiograms and 100 stent operations.

The National / PNG Health News

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