COULD YOU RAISE the following story from the PNG Post-Courier with your readers, as they should know how bad things are in PNG and may be able to garner support for Angau Memorial Hospital.

I left PNG in August 2004 after 35 years, 18 of which were spent in Lae.

The appalling state of Angau Hospital has been common knowledge for decades, and it has been able to keep running purely because of the help of Rotary and other charitable bodies.

Politicians should hang their heads in shame to allow such a situation to develop.

Years of banging my head against a brick wall, trying to help the hospital, was part of the reason for my departure.

I helped establish the Dr Paddy Dewan Paediatric Foundation to fund operations for sick children but even that got zero support from the government.

The pathology section at the Angau Memorial Hospital in Lae is on the verge of total collapse and the doctor in charge of it is crying out for immediate help.

Dr Francis Bannick said he has had enough and is sticking his neck out for the sake of thousands of sick Papua New Guineans who deserve a vital service they are not getting at the Angau Memorial Hospital.

‘I cannot keep quiet any more and let patients suffer. I have to come out and tell the government what is happening in this hospital in the hope of getting help. The situation here is very serious.’

Medical specimens and biopsies for patients sent to Port Moresby General Hospital for analyses have not been heard of since last September and patients as well as their doctors are still waiting, Dr Bannick revealed.

The Post-Courier emailed the Minister for Health, Sasa Zibe, and Health Secretary, Clement Malau, for their comments. Mr Zibe responded saying that Dr Malau had only just returned from his holidays and they will look into the matter before responding.

Source: Angau pathology useless by Oseah Philemon