The Sepik Development Project, through Frieda River Limited, has recently supported a paediatric surgical outreach mission to Wewak, East Sepik Province, delivering\u00a0long awaited\u00a0specialist care to children who have been unable to access these services for years.<\/p>\n
The specialist team, based at Port Moresby General Hospital, was led by paediatric surgeon Dr Jack Mulu and included Dr Joel\u00a0Silari, Dr James\u00a0Apamumu, Dr Janice\u00a0Buleka\u00a0and theatre nurse Sr Emelda Andale. The team travelled to Wewak last month for a weeklong mission\u00a0commencing\u00a0on 23 March and concluding on 28 March, spending five intensive days delivering clinical consultations and surgical care.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cIt is\u00a0sad to see that most hospitals\u00a0are not able to\u00a0meet the cost of these\u00a0individuals who\u00a0require\u00a0specialist surgical service. The reason\u00a0being budgetary constraints.\u00a0Without the support of the corporate\u00a0organisation,\u00a0it is challenging to meet the\u00a0demands of those who\u00a0require\u00a0these\u00a0essential\u00a0life\u00a0changing services,\u201d <\/em>Dr Mulu said.<\/p>\n During the mission, a total of\u00a033\u00a0paediatric patients were assessed. Fourteen children\u00a0required\u00a0surgical intervention, with the team performing 21 procedures in total,\u00a0four minor procedures and 17 major surgeries\u00a0reflecting the complexity of many cases. Due to high demand, the seriousness of conditions and limited time, the team worked extended hours, beginning as early as 7.00 am and finishing as late as 11.00 pm on some days.<\/p>\n Many children in East Sepik Province face significant challenges accessing specialist paediatric services in Port Moresby due to distance,\u00a0cost\u00a0and logistical constraints. As a result, some patients have waited for several years for treatment. One such case was Danisha Daniel from the\u00a0Wosera\u00a0area, who had been waiting six years to receive specialist paediatric surgical care.<\/p>\n Frieda River Limited became involved after being approached in December last year by\u00a0Boram hospital’s\u00a0Senior\u00a0Surgeon,\u00a0Dr Eri\u00a0Ebos, who requested support to\u00a0assist\u00a0with travel and accommodation costs for the visiting specialist team. Dr\u00a0Ebos\u00a0highlighted long waiting times for paediatric patients in the province and the urgent need to deliver the clinical program locally to reach children who would otherwise remain untreated.<\/p>\n \u201cWe recognise that improving health outcomes requires strong partnerships and practical support on the ground,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Country Manager\u00a0Joel Hamago said.\u00a0\u201cThrough\u00a0interventions from the private sector\u00a0such as what we are doing now to the people of Sepik,\u00a0can\u00a0close\u00a0critical\u00a0service gaps and ensure children in remote communities can access the specialised care they deserve.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The successful completion of the mission\u00a0demonstrates\u00a0the importance of collaborative efforts between medical professionals, provincial health\u00a0services\u00a0and corporate partners in improving access to specialised healthcare for children in remote and underserved communities.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Sepik Development Project, through Frieda River Limited, has recently supported a paediatric surgical outreach mission to Wewak, East Sepik Province, delivering\u00a0long awaited\u00a0specialist care to children who have been unable to access these services for years. The specialist team, based at Port Moresby General Hospital, was led by paediatric surgeon Dr Jack Mulu and included […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":1182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n