Thursday 25 January 2024
In its ongoing commitment to providing specialised healthcare, the Port Moresby General Hospital achieved a significant milestone with the commissioning of its Kidney Dialysis Centre on Wednesday, 24 January 2024.
This centre was made possible through funding by the National Fisheries Authority (NFA), who funded K10 million in 2022 for this project.
Speaking on behalf of the National Fisheries Authority, Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources, Hon. Jelta Wong said the kidney centre is what PNG needs and is a step in the right direction that the government is taking.
“This is about giving life to our very own people. I thank the government, the NFA for coming onboard through our Managing Director and our Board of NFA.
“These are part of the community programs that are really affecting our country. These are community programs that we change to ensure that it affects our people,” he stated.
“On behalf of NFA, we are going to continue with this. This is not a one-off K10 million that we are going to give.
This year, through our Board and the MD we are going to give K5 million to make sure that the program keeps going. We need to do this for our people.”
Minister for Health and HIV/AIDS, Hon. Dr Lino Tom, congratulated the PMGH board and management for this milestone achievement and stated that kidney care is a basic need.
“As a sovereign nation, the department and institutions that are vested with certain sacred responsibility, none more sacred than the protection and preservation of health and life, I want to challenge us all that we must be able to provide the basic needs of our people and kidney care is no longer a luxury, it is a need, a basic need.”
Representing the hospital was POMGEN Board member, Mr Paul Kiruwi who stated that the Board and Management with the Technical Support from PNG Kidney Foundation were proud to deliver the first objective, ‘establishing a kidney dialysis service.’
“PMGH with support from the NDOH policy team are working on the regulatory framework to deliver the next objective ‘in Country Kidney Transplant, Yes Kidney Transplant in PNG’ not only to our citizens but also our pacific neighbors to drive Medical Tourism.”
He added that this milestone is a significant step towards achieving the 2024 AIPs around Kidney and that this is possible due to the generosity of our supporters and partners.
“On this occasion, on behalf of the board of PMGH under the chairmanship of Peter Graham, I would like to thank our two ministers for subscribing to the PMGH vision and being great supporters of PMGH. Not only now in your current ministries but also in your previous ministries.”
The Board of PMGH has been working hard to deliver the Government’s objective to ensure PMGH delivers specialized kidney services to the people of PNG.
Currently, the centre has a total of 12 dialysis machines, with two recently installed and the first dialysis treatment for the first patient taking place on Monday, 22 January.
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